Dear all,
Welcome to NCIC’s first newsletter of 2025! We're excited for a year filled with research, events, and updates on Infections in Cancer, both in Australia and globally. Already, the NCIC has made great strides with several publications, including research from Associate Professor Ben Teh and Dr. Victoria Hall featured in the New England Journal of Medicine. We're also thrilled to welcome Dr. Nalian Ibrahim as our 2025 Clinical Registrar in the Infectious Diseases Department at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. We look forward to an exciting year of national and international meetings ahead!
Research Updates
NCIC lead researchers Associate Professor Ben Teh and Doctor Victoria Hall's research has been published in The New England Journal of Medicine!
Research led by Doctor Victoria Hall and Associate Professor Ben Teh found that for blood cancer patients, a single dose of an age-appropriate flu vaccine is sufficient, with no added benefit from using adjuvanted vaccines or two doses.
Their study simplifies vaccination strategies, ensuring better use of resources and improving access for immune-compromised patients. The next focus is increasing vaccine uptake and finding additional ways to protect those with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
NCIC 2025 Publications
This year already, NCIC has been busy, they have authored and co-authored a suite of clinical publications on the treatment and management of a range of infections in the Immunocompromised Host. To read all NCIC publications please find the link to our website here.
Emerging concepts of CMV in transplantation. Westall GP, Gottlieb D, Hughes P, Marinelli T, Rawlinson WD, Ritchie D, Sasadeusz J, Yong MK. Internal Medical Journal
Glucocorticoid dosing and implications for vaccination: Evolution of global definitions. Wang X, Patel C, Giles ML, Burns P, Macartney K, Teh B, Williams PC. Clinical Infectious Disease
The bottom line of CAR-T fungal risk: low incidence, high stakes and the need for individualised antifungal prophylaxis. Reynolds GK, Slavin MA.
Transplant Cell Ther.
Clostridioides difficile infection and recurrence in cancer patients (CIRCA): a multicentre, international study. Puerta-Alcalde P, O'Keefe J, Woolstencroft R, Kaul S, López N, Cronin K, Lim A, Garcia-Pouton N, Álvarez M, Chee L, Espasa M, Grafia I, Suárez-Lledó M, Smibert O, Garcia-Vidal C, Slavin MA, Yong MK, Soriano A, Worth LJ. Internal Journal Infect Dis.
Influenza Vaccination Strategies in Patients with Hematologic Cancer. Hall VG, Smibert OC, Sullivan SG, Lim C, Barr IG, Peck H, Fuge-Larsen P, Demajo J, Klimevski E, Tennakoon S, Saunders NR, Joyce T, Whitechurch A, Khot A, Anderson MA, Trubiano JA, Yong MK, Worth LJ, Spelman T, Slavin MA, Teh BW. New England Journal
Management, outcomes and predictors of mortality of Cryptococcus infection in patients without HIV: a multicentre study in 46 hospitals from Australia and New Zealand. Coussement J, Heath CH, Roberts MB, Lane RJ, Spelman T, Smibert OC, Longhitano A, Morrissey CO, Nield B, Tripathy M, Davis JS, Kennedy KJ, Lynar SA, Crawford LC, Crawford SJ, Smith BJ, Gador-Whyte AP, Haywood R, Mahony AA, Howard JC, Walls GB, O'Kane GM, Broom MT, Keighley CL, Bupha-Intr O, Cooley L, O'Hern JA, Jackson JD, Morris AJ, Bartolo C, Tramontana AR, Grimwade KC, Au Yeung V, Chean R, Woolnough E, Teh BW, Slavin MA, Chen SC. Clinical Infectious Disease.
Antifungal stewardship in Australian hospitals: defining the scope and future targets
Urbancic KF, Kong DCM, Johnson PDR, Yong MK, Slavin MA, Thursky K. Internal Medical Journal.
NCIC Updates
Welcome new starter: Doctor Nalian Ibrahim
We are excited to welcome Dr. Nalian Ibrahim as the 2025 Clinical Registrar for the Infectious Diseases Department! Nalian joins us from her previous role as an Infectious Diseases Advanced Trainee at Royal Melbourne Hospital and Monash Health. With a strong research background, she is a fantastic addition to our team. We’re thrilled to have such a talented and dedicated new member taking on the Clinical Registrar role for 2025!
NCIC Opportunities
Education opportunities
Visiting Fellow Program
This year, we hosted many visiting fellows from various global locations, Italy, Spain, Singapore and many more. It was a successful year in promoting collaboration and education, all aimed at improving outcomes for immunocompromised patients. This program focuses on enhancing infection management skills for diverse cancers and immunocompromised hosts within a tertiary centre that is pioneering new cancer therapies.
PhD Projects
Next year, the NCIC will offer several PhD opportunities. As Australia’s leading centre for infections in cancer, we aim to provide students with the chance to complete their PhD with us. This is a great opportunity to work on projects in a rapidly growing field, where new cancer therapies are being developed. As survival rates improve, the epidemiology of infections in immunocompromised patients continues to evolve, creating a need for better diagnostics and treatments.
Upcoming events
Australian Society for Antimicrobials 24th Annual Scientific Meeting 2025
20th -22nd February, Melbourne, Australia
The 2025 Howard Florey Oration will be delivered by Karin Thursky from The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
The programme's symposia cover many different aspects of antimicrobials and sessions including:
Complex AMR Infections in Vulnerable Populations
Mycobacteria
Mycology
Post COVID: Ongoing Public Health Challenges
Gram-negative Bacteria
ESCMID GLOBAL 2025
April 11- 15, 2025, Vienna, Austria
We look forward to seeing you in Vienna for the 2025 ESCMID meeting! A large contingent from NCIC will be heading to Australia to present their research, and we’re excited to announce that Professor Karin Thursky will be a keynote speaker.
Stay tuned for our upcoming NCIC ESCMID timetable, featuring all NCIC presentations. With so many high-quality talks, we want to make it easy for you to access and attend them. We’ll provide a downloadable PDF with a clear layout of the sessions to ensure you don’t miss a thing!
Fred Hutch Symposium on Infectious Diseases in Immunocompromised Host
May 11 – 14, 2025, in Seattle, Washington
Please join us on May 11 – 14, 2025, in Seattle, Washington, for the 5th Symposium on Infectious Diseases in the Immunocompromised Host. Mark your calendar for an expanded two and a half-day program that brings together leaders and trainees in research and clinical care of infectious diseases in the immunocompromised host.
The NCIC is on BlueSky now!
We are excited to share that the NCIC will be transitioning to BlueSky.
Make sure to follow us on BlueSky and stay tuned for more developments as we settle into this new space and don’t forget, you can always stay connected with the team and community on LinkedIn for the latest updates and news.
We look forward to connecting with you on both LinkedIn and BlueSky.
Kind regards,
Prof Monica Slavin, MBBS, MD, FRACP, FAAHMS
Head, Department Infectious Disease, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Professor of Infection in Cancer and Transplantation, University of Melbourne Department of Infectious Diseases and the Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology
Director, National Centre for Infections in Cancer