Rate My Professor Peter Sykes

Associate Professor Peter Sykes serves as a gynaecological oncologist and academic in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Otago, Christchurch, within the Faculty of Medicine. He earned his MB ChB from the University of Bristol, DipObst from the University of Otago, FRANZCOG, and DGO. Following graduation from Bristol, he relocated to New Zealand in 1986, where he underwent training in obstetrics and gynaecology in Christchurch and Dunedin. He then completed subspecialty training in gynaecological oncology in Melbourne, returning to Christchurch in 1997 as New Zealand’s first gynaecological oncologist with accredited subspecialty training. In 1998, he joined the University Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and was appointed Head of Department from 2002 to 2008. Since 2008, he has held a joint clinical and academic position as a gynaecological oncologist. From 1997, he contributed to establishing a model of tertiary services for gynaecological cancer in the South Island, which informed a national model of care. He has fostered multidisciplinary collaborations across New Zealand and Australia and engaged in capacity building for gynaecological cancer treatment in the Pacific Islands over two decades, including mentoring two International Gynaecological Cancer Society trainees from Fiji.

Peter Sykes’ research specializations encompass gynaecological oncology and cervical cancer prevention. As principal investigator, he has led studies on HPV typing in cervical cancer, performance of liquid-based cytology and HPV testing, conservative management of CIN2, impact of HPV vaccination, and implementation of HPV testing with a universal offer of self-testing. Notable publications include Lawton et al. (2026), “Primary cervical screening using a universal offer of human papillomavirus self-testing versus usual care in Aotearoa New Zealand,” published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women's Health; Sparkes et al. (2026), “‘Point-of-care-testing is definitely the way to go’: Primary healthcare professionals in rural Aotearoa New Zealand talk about point-of-care testing for cervical cancer prevention,” in Journal of Primary Health Care; and Slater et al. (2025), “Opportunities to flip the narrative from burden to action for young women joining the National Cervical Screening Programme in Aotearoa New Zealand,” also in Journal of Primary Health Care. He has held substantive roles in the New Zealand Gynaecological Cancer Group, Australian Society of Gynaecological Oncologists, and Australia and New Zealand Gynaecological Oncology Group, advised the National Cervical Screening Programme, authored two reports reviewing cervical cancer cases, and supervised numerous postgraduate students.