The Robin Speed Travel Scholarship
The medical community recently celebrated the latest recipients of the prestigious Robin Speed Grants, recognizing three doctors poised to significantly advance healthcare.
Dr Stephanie Talam
"Evaluation of haematopoietic second primary malignancies in multiple myeloma: a single centre Australian experience"
This project is a review of the cases of haematopoietic second primary malignancies in patients with multiple myeloma at RPA Hospital. I am grateful to SBCR for selecting me as a recipient of the Robin Speed Memorial Scholarship. This travel grant supported me to present my Poster Abstract at the International Myeloma Society Meeting in Toronto, Canada, in September 2025 and at Blood in Perth in October 2025. The abstract garnered great local and international interest and the project now form the basis of the first multi-centre study to evaluate second primary malignancies in treated myeloma patients in Australia.
"Evaluation of the use of myeloma minimal residual disease (MRD): a local descriptive study"
This project is an evaluation of the use of EuroFlow myeloma minimal residual disease (MRD) testing performed at RPA Hospital. As MRD testing is increasingly being used to assess treatment response in haematological malignancies, this review aims to identify cases in which MRD testing impacted on clinical management in patients with myeloma, highlighting its potential utility in informing MRD-adapted treatment protocols in the future. As a recipient of the Robin Speed Memorial Scholarship, I am grateful to the SBCR for supporting me to present my work at Blood in Perth in October 2025.
Dr Anthony Jeffrey
CAR T Therapy Fellow
Thank you to the Sydney Blood Cancer Research Institute (SBCR) for supporting my attendance at the Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand conference with the Robin Speed Travel Grant 2025. My primary research reported the rare occurrence of spontaneous remission of an Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) positive diffuse large B cell lymphoma after a patient relapsed following an initial response to CAR-T cell therapy. We collaborated with researchers at Royal North Shore Hospital to uncover a T-cell mediated immune response directed against EBV as a possible mechanism for the spontaneous remission. Additional research projects as a co-author focused on real-world outcomes of CAR-T cell therapy in the Australian setting and the management of alloimmune complications post allogeneic stem cell transplant. In addition to hearing from international leaders in lymphoma, acute leukaemia and cellular therapies attendance at the conference facilitated collaboration with fellow researchers to plan future projects.
Dr Grace Wolyncewicz
Haematology Clinical Trials Fellow
Thank you to the Sydney Blood Cancer Research Institute (SBCR) for supporting my attendance at the Blood Conference in Perth with the Robin Speed Travel Grant 2025. My project presented the details of set up and validation of the acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) leukaemic stem cell (LSC) minimal residual disease (MRD) testing performed at RPA Hospital. With MRD now playing a critical role in guiding treatment and predicting relapse, there is a growing need for sensitive and widely applicable assays. Our assay showed high sensitivity and specificity with excellent correlation to other established MRD assessments. Importantly, this assay can be applied to nearly all AML patients, even those without molecular markers of disease. In addition to presenting my own research, I appreciated the opportunity to hear about the overseas use and sequencing of CAR T and bispecific therapies in both lymphoma and myeloma. This trip has helped me look to the future, plan several further research projects in collaboration with fellow researchers who attended, and has influenced my practice going forwards.
