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Alia Cibich
Higher Degree by Research Candidate
Adelaide Medical School
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Alia Cibich is a PhD (Medicine) student with the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit (BMTU) at Royal Adelaide Hospital and the 2024 Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) Dawes Scholar. She is supervised by A/Prof Devendra Hiwase, A/Prof David Yeung and Prof Susan Branford. Her PhD is investigating the epidemiology, pathogenesis, and management of secondary cancers after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
Alia is also the BMTU Clinical Data Manager at Royal Adelaide Hospital. She maintains a Statewide clinical registry with over 2000 patients spanning more than 40 years. In her time as Data Manager, she has led and contributed to multiple clinical audits and reviews, the findings of which presented at numerous international meetings. Alia is also a member of the Australian and New Zealand Transplant and Cellular Therapy (ANZTCT) Registry Board and was recently appointed as Chair of the ANZTCT Data Manager Special Interest Group.
Alia has a special interest in the late complications of allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant. Her goal is to ensure patients thrive, not merely survive, well after transplant.
Blood cancers (when combined) are both the second most diagnosed and common cause of cancer-related mortality in Australia. There are more than 110,000 people living with blood cancer in Australia today, projected to increase to 275,000 people by 2035.
Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a potentially curative therapy for many high-risk blood cancers such as acute myeloid leukaemia. It is arguably the most intensive form of cancer treatment. Advancements in clinical practice have led to improved outcomes and increased survivorship. However, long-term survivors experience significant late morbidity and risk of mortality due to treatment-associated toxicities. Perhaps the most devastating late complication of HSCT is development of new secondary cancers in patients otherwise cured of their blood cancer.
Secondary cancers are highly heterogenous, with reports of malignancy in essentially all tissues/organs. Unlike many other complications of HSCT, secondary cancers are poorly described. Reported incidence and latency is highly variable, and pathogenesis inadequately understood. Consequently, minimal guidance is available to clinicians for the management of patients. Furthermore, existing data does not consider contemporary clinical practice. Thus, investigation of these gaps has potential to inform development of a risk-stratified clinical algorithm and identify novel therapeutic targets. Clinicians will be better equipped to make informed decisions on treatment plans, and patients will benefit from improved procedural safety by proactive risk management.
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Appointments
Date Position Institution name 2020 - 2021 Clinical Trials Coordinator Royal Adelaide Hospital 2019 - ongoing Data Manager Royal Adelaide Hospital -
Awards and Achievements
Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount 2024 Scholarship Jazz Pharmaceuticals Award Arrow Bone Marrow Transplant Foundation Australia - 2023 Research Award Best Abstract Award Australian and New Zealand Transplant and Cellular Therapy Australia - 2023 Scholarship Transplantation and Cellular Therapies Community Support Australian and New Zealand Transplantation and Cellular Therapies Australia - 2021 Research Award Outstanding Feature Poster Abstract American Society of Transplantation and Cellular Therapies and Center for International Bone Marrow Transplant Research United States - 2017 Scholarship Student Vacation Scholarship South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute Australia - -
Education
Date Institution name Country Title 2018 University of Adelaide Australia Honours Degree of Bachelor of Health and Medical Sciences 2015 - 2017 University of Adelaide Australia Bachelor of Health Sciences -
Research Interests
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Journals
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Conference Items
Year Citation 2023 Cibich, M. A., Wu, X., Sharplin, K., Pham, A., Shanmuganathan, N., Singhal, D., . . . Hiwase, D. (2023). Outcomes of ABO Incompatible Allogeneic Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant: A Single-Centre Retrospective Cohort Review. Poster session presented at the meeting of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Elsevier BV.
2023 Cibich, M. A., Schultz, C., Sharplin, K., Chhetri, R., Selby, P., Shanmuganathan, N., . . . Hiwase, D. (2023). Incidence of Decreased Bone Mineral Density Post Allogeneic Haemopoietic Stem Cell Transplant: Single Institution Retrospective Analysis. Poster session presented at the meeting of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Elsevier BV.
2022 Cibich, A., Chhetri, R., Sharplin, K. M., Shanmuganathan, N., Yeung, D. T., Singhal, D., . . . Hiwase, D. (2022). Comparable Survival Following Allogeneic Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Utilising HLA-Matched Versus Alternative Donors: A Single-Centre Retrospective, Consecutive Cohort Analysis. Poster session presented at the meeting of BLOOD. New Orleans, LA: AMER SOC HEMATOLOGY.
2022 Stefani, K., Cibich, A., Hiwase, D., & Sidhu, S. (2022). An Audit of Hyper Acute Graft-Versus Host Disease at the Royal Adelaide Hospital from 2005-2018. Poster session presented at the meeting of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Elsevier BV.
2022 Baranwal, A., Chhetri, R., Kok, C., Alkhateeb, H. B., Mangaonkar, A., Johnson, B. K., . . . Shah, M. V. (2022). Factors Predicting Survival Following Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant in Patients with Therapy-Related Myeloid Neoplasms. Poster session presented at the meeting of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Elsevier BV.
2021 Cibich, A., Sharplin, K., Purins, L., Vo, M., Beligaswatte, A., Singhal, D., . . . Hiwase, D. (2021). Comparing the Kinetics of Donor Chimerism Following Myeloablative and Reduced Intensity Conditioning Regimens for Allogenic Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant. Poster session presented at the meeting of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Elsevier BV.
Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) Dawes Scholarship 2024
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Committee Memberships
Date Role Committee Institution Country 2024 - ongoing Member ANZTCT Registry Committee Australian and New Zealand Transplantation and Cellular Therapies Australia 2023 - ongoing Co-Chair Data Manager Special Interest Group Australian and New Zealand Transplantation and Cellular Therapies Australia -
Memberships
Date Role Membership Country 2023 - ongoing Member Australian and New Zealand Transplantation and Cellular Therapies Australia 2023 - ongoing Member Haematology Society of Australian and New Zealand Australia 2023 - ongoing Member American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapies United States
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