astronomy

Ruth Spearing

Ruth Spearing is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Ruth Spearing rather than just read about it. In short: Ruth Lilian Spearing is a New Zealand haematologist, and researches blood cancer. In 2023 Spearing was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to haematology.

Key takeaways

Ruth Spearing belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Ruth Spearing to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Ruth Spearing from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Ruth Lilian Spearing is a New Zealand haematologist, and researches blood cancer. In 2023 Spearing was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to haematology.

Career Spearing attended the University of Otago. She has worked as a consultant haematologist at Christchurch Hospital since 1989, and is the clinical director of haematology at Canterbury District Health Board. From 2003 until 2017 Spearing served as Chair of the Canterbury Hospitals’ Medical Staff Association. Spearing was also Canterbury Clinical Lead for the Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Service. Spearing was also a board member of the New Zealand Medical Association, and a trustee of the Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia Advocates New Zealand. Spearing led the New Zealand involvement in international collaborative trials with the UK's Medical Research Council and the Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group. These trials have investigated treatments for a range of blood cancers including myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, acute lymphocytic and myeloid leukaemia, and have resulted in increased survival rates from 13% for acute myeloid leukaemia in the 1980s to 65 per cent. In 2008, Spearing established the Ruth Spearing Cancer Research Trust, to support haematology research in the South Island. In 2024, Spearing led calls for Pharmac chief executive Sarah Fitt to step down after an Official Information Act request revealed internal communications showing disdain for patients and their advocates. Spearing has been critical of Pharmac's approach to funding new drugs, especially drugs for blood cancers, pointing out that New Zealand funds far fewer blood cancer drugs than other countries.

Honours and awards In the 2023 King's Birthday and Coronation Honours, Spearing was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to haematology. Spearing is a Life Member of ALLG, the Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group.

Selected works

Mats Brune; Sylvie Castaigne; John Catalano; et al. (23 March 2006). "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. 108 (1): 88–96. doi:10.1182/blood-2005-10-4073. ISSN 0006-4971. PMID 16556892. Wikidata Q28303488. J. T. Reilly; J. A. Snowden; R. L. Spearing; P. M. Fitzgerald; N. Jones; A. Watmore; A. Potter (1 July 1997). "Cytogenetic abnormalities and their prognostic significance in idiopathic myelofibrosis: a study of 106 cases". British Journal of Haematology. 98 (1): 96–102. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2141.1997.1722990.x. ISSN 0007-1048. PMID 9233570. Wikidata Q50945096. Smith SR; Cheesbrough J; Spearing R; Davies JM (1 August 1989). "Randomized prospective study comparing vancomycin with teicoplanin in the treatment of infections associated with Hickman catheters". Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 33 (8): 1193–1197. doi:10.1128/aac.33.8.1193. ISSN 0066-4804. PMC 172623. PMID 2529814. Wikidata Q35341106. JA Snowden; GR Hill; P Hunt; S Carnoutsos; RL Spearing; E Espiner; DNJ Hart (28 July 2000). "Assessment of cardiotoxicity during haemopoietic stem cell transplantation with plasma brain natriuretic peptide". Bone Marrow Transplantation. 26 (3): 309–313. doi:10.1038/sj.bmt.1702507. ISSN 0268-3369. PMID 10967571. Wikidata Q57252641. Logan C Walker; Jane Stevens; Hamish Campbell; et al. (1 June 2002). "A novel inherited mutation of the transcription factor RUNX1 causes thrombocytopenia and may predispose to acute myeloid leukaemia". British Journal of Haematology. 117 (4): 878–881. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2141.2002.03512.x. ISSN 0007-1048. PMID 12060124. Wikidata Q33342795. Yago Nieto; Nigel Patton; Timothy Hawkins; et al. (1 February 2006). "Tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil after nonmyeloablative matched-sibling donor allogeneic stem-cell transplantations conditioned with fludarabine and low-dose total body irradiation". Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation. 12 (2): 217–225. doi:10.1016/j.bbmt.2005.10.012. ISSN 1083-8791. PMID 16443519. Wikidata Q46916859.

References

External links Wellbeing & Women in Medicine Panel - New Zealand Medical Students' Association 2017, panel including Jane Ruck, Alistair Papali'i-Curtin, Jessica Papali'i-Curtin, Ruth Spearing, Miriam Martin, chaired by Elizabeth Berryman, via YouTube

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Ruth Spearing

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Ruth Spearing claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Ruth Spearing before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Ruth Spearing ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Ruth Spearing

In research: Ruth Spearing appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Ruth Spearing in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Ruth Spearing is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit, Hematologists, Living people, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Ruth Spearing outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Ruth Spearing in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Ruth Spearing means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Ruth Spearing out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ruth Spearing in simple terms?

Ruth Lilian Spearing is a New Zealand haematologist, and researches blood cancer. In 2023 Spearing was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to haematology.

Why does Ruth Spearing matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Ruth Spearing?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Ruth Spearing.