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STAFF INFORMATION

DR RUTH SPEARING MBCHB, FRACP, FRCPA
Consultant Haematologist
Phone : 03 364 0300 x 80382
Fax : 03 364 0750
EMail : ruth.spearing@cdhb.govt.nz 		Dr Ruth Spearing

Dr Ruth Spearing qualified from Bristol University and then emigrated to New Zealand where she undertook her initial training in Haematology at Christchurch and Dunedin Hospitals prior to returning to the UK to continue her Haematology Training. Following a period as Acting Director of the Canterbury and Westland Regional Blood Transfusion Service in 1987-1990, she was appointed Clinical and Laboratory Haematologist at Christchurch Hospital and Senior Clinical Lecturer at the Christchurch School of Medicine.

She has been Chairman of the Canterbury Hospitals' Medical Staff Association since 2003, and is the Chair of the Joint Committee for Higher Training for Haematology (RACP/RCPA); she is a member of New Zealand Cancer Information Advisory Working Party which is developing a national database and information sharing system for cancer services. Ruth is also the champion of the project to get community results onto the CDHB Eclair clinical repository.

From 1998 -2004, Ruth Spearing was Clinical Director of the Christchurch Haematology Unit. She chaired the New Zealand Cerezyme Treatment Panel from 1996-2000, and again from 2002-2205, and remains a member of this committee. Dr Spearing is a member of the New Zealand Cancer Treatment Working Party and chaired its Information Technology subcommittee (2003-2008) and has been a member of its Medical Oncology and Haematology Advisory, and its Adolescent subcommittees. She is a past Chair of the Canterbury Regional Blood Transfusion Society (1989-1993), and of the Canterbury and Westland Child Cancer Foundation Health Professionals Group 1996-2004), and Chairman of the Leukaemia and Blood Foundation (1998-2000). She was the Canterbury representative for the NZ Committee of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians 2005-2008. She is also one of the 2 Elected members of the DHB Clinical Board.

As well as adolescent haematology, her special areas of clinical interest are bone marrow transplantation, haematological malignancies and the molecular biology of malignant disease.

Publications

  1. Surgenor LJ. ,SPEARING RL. ,Horn J. ,Beautrais AL. ,Mulder RT. ,Chen P.
    ",Burnout in hospital-based medical consultants in the New Zealand public health system.
    NZ Med J 2009;122(1300):11-8
  2. Ganly PS ,Keeman H. ,SPEARING RL. ,Smith MP ,Patton N. ,Merriman EG. ,Gibbons SS
    ",Written advice can provide a safe and acceptable alternative to a new patient assessment for selected referrals to haematologists.
    Medical Jouranl of Australia 2008;188:9-12
  3. Wilson C. ,SPEARING RL. ,Teague L. ,Robertson P. ,Blacklock H.
    ",The outcome of clinical parameters in adults with severe Type I Gaucher disease using very low dose enzyme replacement therapy.
    Mol Genet Metab 2007;92(1-2):131-6
  4. Brune M. ,Castaigne S. ,Catalano J. ,Gehlsen K. ,Ho A. ,Hofmann W. ,SPEARING RL. ,et al.
    ",Improved leukemia-free survival after postconsolidation immunotherapy with histamine dihydrochloride and interleukin-2 in acute myeloid leukemia: results of a randomized phase 3 trial.
    Blood. 2006;108(1):88-96
  5. Nieto Y. ,Patton WN. ,Hawkins T. ,SPEARING RL. ,Bearman SI. ,Rabinovitch R. ,Zeng C. ,et al.
    ",Tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil after non-myeloblative matched sibling donor allogeneic stem-cell transplants conditioned with fludarabine and low-dose total body irradiation.
    Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2006;12(2):217-25
  6. Ganly PS ,SPEARING RL.
    "Treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin is not a panacea but should be limited to those who can benefit."
    New Zealand Medical Journal 2006;119:1246
  7. Chee L. ,SPEARING RL. ,Morris CM. ,Hanrahan V ,Florkowski CM ,Walmsley TA ,Patton WN. ,et al.
    ",Acquired myeloma-associated Type III hyperlipidaemia treated by nonmyeloablative HLA-identical sibling allogeneic stem cell transplant using a donor with essential thrombocythaemia: evidence of engraftment without manifestation of ET in recipient
    Bone Marrow Transplant. 2005;35(12):1213-4
  8. Chambers ST. ,Sanders J. ,Patton WN. ,Ganly PS ,Birch M. ,Crump JA. ,SPEARING RL.
    ",Reduction of exit-site infections of tunnelled intravascular catheters among neutropenic patients by sustained-release chlorhexidine dressings: results from a prospective randomized controlled trial.
    J Hosp Infect. 2005;61(1):53-61
  9. Ganly PS ,McDonald M. ,SPEARING RL. ,Morris CM.
    ",Constitutional t(5;7)(q11;p15)c rearranged to aquire monosomy 7q and trisomy 1q in a patient with MDS transforming AML.
    Cancer Genet Cytogenet 2004;149(2):125-30
  10. Hidajat R. ,McLay JL. ,Goode DH. ,SPEARING RL.
    ",EOG as a monitor of desferrioxamine retinal toxicity.
    Doc Ophthalmol. 2004;109(3):273-8
  11. Maghzal GJ. ,Brennan SO ,Fellowes AP ,SPEARING RL. ,George PM
    ",Familial hypofibrinogenaemia associated with heterozygous substitution of a conserved arginine residue; Bbeta255 Arg-->His (Fibrinogen Merivale).
    Biochim Biophys Acta. 2003;1645(2):146-51
  12. Walker LC. ,Stevens J. ,Campbell H. ,Corbett R. ,SPEARING RL. ,Ganly PS ,Morris CM. ,et al.
    ",A novel inherited mutation of the transcription factor RUNX1 causes thrombocytopenia and may predispose to acute myeloid leukaemia.
    Br J Haematol. 2002;117(4):878-81
  13. Hughes MJ. ,Davis FM. ,Mark SD. ,SPEARING RL.
    ",Hyperbaric oxygen for cyclophosphamide-induced cystitis.
    Br J Haematol. 2002;119(2):575
  14. Beard ME. ,Potter HC ,SPEARING RL. ,Brennan SO
    ",Haemoglobin Pierre-Benite--a high affinity variant associated with relative polycythaemia.
    Clin Lab Haematol. 2001;23(6):407-9
  15. Drummond MW. ,SPEARING RL.
    ",Arterial thrombosis, GM-CSF, and the lupus anticoagulant.
    Am J Hematol. 2000;64(2):143
  16. Llewellyn IE. ,Morris CM. ,Stanworth S. ,Heaton DC. ,SPEARING RL.
    ",Trisomy 10 in acute myeloid leukemia: three new cases.
    Cancer Genet Cytogenet. 2000;118(2):148-50
  17. Drummond MW. ,SPEARING RL.
    ",Arterial thrombosis, GM-CSF, and the lupus anticoagulant.
    Am J Hematol. 2000;64(2):143
  18. Snowden JA. ,Hill GR. ,Hunt P. ,Carnoutsos SA ,SPEARING RL. ,Espiner E. ,Hart DN.
    ",Assessment of cardiotoxicity during haemopoietic stem cell transplantation with plasma brain natriuretic peptide.
    Bone Marrow Transplant. 2000;26(3):309-13
  19. Stevens JM. ,Patton WN. ,Heaton DC. ,SPEARING RL. ,Shaw G. ,Bowie D. ,Smyth D. ,Comenzo R.
    ",Autologous PBSCT in patients with cardiac amyloidosis.
    Bone Marrow Transplant. 2000;26(5):588-9
  20. Scott WG. ,Scott HM. ,Henderson S. ,Inder A. ,Sanders J. ,SPEARING RL. ,McArthur C. ,et al.
    ",Cost comparison of antibacterial therapies for serious infections. A New Zealand 3-hospital study.
    Pharmacoeconomics. 1999;16(2):183-92
  21. Vuckovic S. ,Fearnley DB. ,Gunningham S. ,SPEARING RL. ,Patton WN. ,Hart DN.
    ",Dendritic cells in chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia.
    Br J Haematol. 1999;105(4):974-85
  22. Wickramasinghe SN. ,SPEARING RL. ,Hill GR.
    ",Congenital dyserythropoiesis with intererythroblastic chromatin bridges and ultrastructurally-normal erythroblast heterochromatin: a new disorder.
    Br J Haematol. 1998;103(3):831-4
  23. Withington S. ,Chambers ST. ,Beard ME. ,Inder A. ,Ikram RB. ,Schousboe MI ,SPEARING RL. ,et al.
    ",Invasive aspergillosis in severely neutropenic patients over 18 years: impact of intranasal amphotericin B and HEPA filtration.
    J Hosp Infect. 1998;38(1):11-8
  24. Reilly JT. ,Snowden JA. ,SPEARING RL. ,Fitzgerald PM. ,Jones N. ,Watmore A. ,Potter A.
    ",Cytogenetic abnormalities and their prognostic significance in idiopathic myelofibrosis: a study of 106 cases.
    Br J Haematol. 1997;98(1):96-102
  25. Manley R. ,Fearnley D. ,Patton WN. ,Newhook C. ,SPEARING RL. ,Hart DN.
    ",Syngeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for severe aplastic anaemia. South Island Bone Marrow Transplant Team.
    Bone Marrow Transplant. 1997;20(11):1009-10
  26. Brennan SO ,Hammonds B. ,SPEARING RL. ,George PM
    ",Electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry facilitates detection of fibrinogen (Bbeta 14 Arg --> Cys) mutation in a family with thrombosis.
    Thromb Haemost. 1997;78(6):1484-7
  27. Snowden JA. ,Hutchings M. ,SPEARING RL. ,Patton WN.
    ",Acquired high titre factor VIII inhibitor with underlying polyarteritis nodosa.
    Pathology. 1997;29(2):221-3
  28. Baker BW. ,Wilson CL. ,Davis AL. ,SPEARING RL. ,Hart DN. ,Heaton DC. ,Beard ME.
    ",Busulphan/cyclophosphamide conditioning for bone marrow transplantation may lead to failure of hair regrowth.
    Bone Marrow Transplant. 1991;7(1):43-7
  29. Beard ME. ,Inder AB. ,Allen JR. ,Hart DN. ,Heaton DC. ,SPEARING RL.
    ",The costs and benefits of bone marrow transplantation.
    N Z Med J. 1991;104(916):303-5
  30. Baker BW. ,Smith MP ,Abbott GD. ,Beard ME. ,SPEARING RL. ,Heaton DC.
    ",Aplastic anaemia in Christchurch Hospital 1979-89.
    N Z Med J. 1991;104(923):468-70
  31. SPEARING RL. ,Hicktonk CM. ,Sizeland P. ,Hannah A. ,Bailey RR.
    ",Quinine-induced disseminated intravascular coagulation.
    Lancet. 1990;336(8730):1535-7
  32. Phillips JK. ,SPEARING RL. ,Davies JM. ,Hay CR. ,Parry H. ,Nash JR. ,Cawley JC.
    ",VIM-D salvage chemotherapy in Hodgkins disease.
    Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 1990;27(2):161-3
  33. Smith SR. ,Cheesbrough J. ,SPEARING RL. ,Davies JM.
    ",Randomized prospective study comparing vancomycin with teicoplanin in the treatment of infections associated with Hickman catheters.
    Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1989;33(8):1193-7
  34. Phillips JK. ,SPEARING RL. ,Crome DJ. ,Davies JM.
    ",Gentamicin volumes of distribution in patients with hematologic disorders.
    N Engl J Med 1988;319(19):1290
  35. Phillips JK. ,SPEARING RL.
    ",Resistant multiple myeloma treated with mitozantrone in combination with vincristine and dexamethasone (MOD)
    Eur J Haematol. 1988;40(4):378-9
  36. SPEARING RL. ,Mackie EJ. ,Wright JG.
    ",Ventricular arrhythmias despite an apparently correctly placed Hickman-Broviac catheter.
    Lancet. 1987;1(8538):924
  37. SPEARING RL. ,Pamphilon DH. ,Prentice AG.
    ",Pulmonary aspergillosis in immunosuppressed patients with haematological malignancies.
    Q J Med. 1986;59(230):611-25
  38. SPEARING RL. ,Mackie MJ. ,Risk JM. ,Johnson PM. ,Bulmer JN.
    ",Fetal and maternal uteroplacental leucocytes in aplastic anaemia. Case report.
    Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1986;93(11):1163-5
  39. McVerry BA. ,SPEARING RL. ,Smith A.
    "SLE anticoagulant: transient inhibition by high dose immunoglobulin infusions."
    Br J Haematol. 1985;61(3):579-80
    Information last updated on 11 January 2009
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