Our people

Ms Alisa Turbić

Clinical Trials Coordinator

Areas of expertise: randomised controlled trials; mental health; neurology; neuroscience; neurodegeneration; healthy aging 

Phone: 9953 3695

Email: alisa.turbic@acu.edu.au

Location: ACU Melbourne Campus

ORCID ID: 0000-0002-9703-2484

Ms Turbić is a Clinical Trials Coordinator and a member of the Bone Health and Fractures Research Program (BHFRP) team within the Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research at the Australian Catholic University. She completed her Bachelor of Applied Science (Honours) degree from RMIT University upon which she joined the University Melbourne. She spent most of her career in neuroscience research space conducting projects examining the signaling mechanisms that may be exploited to promote repair of the nervous system following traumatic brain injury.

Ms Turbić transitioned to clinical research in 2017, and since coordinated a variety of randomised clinical trials, including in neurology, mental health, and healthy aging research, while working in hospital and academic research settings. In November 2022, she joined the BHFRP team and has been since involved in the coordination the OsteoPreP study, a randomised controlled trial investigating interventions that can prevent or reduce bone loss in post-menopausal women. If you'd like to learn more about Ms Turbić's current work, please contact her directly or go to the study webpage for more information. 

She has co-authored several scientific papers and presented her research locally and internationally.

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• Breadon, C., Arunogiri, S., Turbić, A., Lavale, A., Maldonado, R and Kulkarni, J. Antidepressants in pregnancy: metabolic and hormonal consequences of obesity. BJOG. Submitted.
• Breadon, C., Arunogiri, S., Turbić, A., Lavale, A., Maldonado, R and Kulkarni, J. Obesity and antidepressant use in pregnancy: a retrospective cohort analysis. BJOG. Submitted.
• Breadon, C., Arunogiri, S., Turbić, A., Lavale, A., Maldonado, R and Kulkarni, J. Antidepressants and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy: a retrospective cohort analysis. BJOG. Submitted.
• Lange, W. P., Turbić, A., Soh, H. C., Clayton-Chubb, D., Lim, K., Watson, R. and Maier, A.B. Melatonin does not reduce delirium severity in hospitalized older adults: Results of a randomized placebo-controlled trial. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2024 Mar 4. doi: 10.1111/jgs.18825.
• Rojer, A.G.M., Denneman, B.C.M., Brouwer, P., Ramsey, K.A., Trappenburg, M.C., Meskers, C.G.M, Twisk, J.W.R., M., Goonan, R., Marston, C., Kay, J.E., Lim, W.K., Turbić, A., Island, L., Denehy, L., Parry, S.M., Reijnierse, E.M., Pijnappels, M. and Maier, A.B. Patterns of Objectively Measured Sedentary Behaviour and Physical Activity and Their Association with Changes in Physical and Functional Performance in Geriatric Rehabilitation Inpatients. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2023 May;24(5):629-637.e11. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2023.01.011. Epub 2023 Feb 23.
• Rojer, A.G.M, Denneman, B.C.M., Brouwer, P., Ramsey, K.A., Trappenburg, M.C., Meskers, C.G.M, Pijnappels, M., Goonan, R., Marston, C., Kay, J.E., Lim, W.K., Turbić, A., Island, L., Reijnierse, E.M. and Maier, A.B. (2021). Determinants of instrumented sedentary and physical activity behaviour in geriatric rehabilitation inpatients: RESORT. Exp Gerontol. 2021 Oct 15:154:111524. doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2021.111524.
• Dixon, K.J., Turbić, A., Turnley, A.M., and Liebl, D.J. (2017). Explant Methodology for Analyzing Neuroblast Migration. Biological Protocols 7(9). pii: e2249.
• Basrai, H.S., Turbić, A., Christie, K. J., and Turnley, A.M. (2017). Suppressor of Cytokine Signalling 2 (SOCS2) Regulates Numbers of Mature Newborn Adult Hippocampal Neurons and Their Dendritic Spine Maturation. Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology 37(5):899-909.
• Dixon, K.J., Mier, J., Gajavelli, S., Turbić, A., Turnley, A.M., and Liebl, D.J. (2016). EphrinB3 restricts endogenous neural stem cell migration after traumatic brain injury. Stem Cell Research 17(3):504-513.
• Basrai, H.S., Christie, K.J., Turbić, A., Bye, N., and Turnley, A.M. (2016). Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling-2 (SOCS2) Regulates the Microglial Response and Improves Functional Outcome after Traumatic Brain Injury in Mice. PLoS ONE 11(4):e0153418.
• Bye, N, Christie, K.J., Turbić, A.,Basrai, H.S., and Turnley, A.M.(2016).Rho kinase inhibition following traumatic brain injury in mice promotes functional improvement and acute neuron survival but has little effect on neurogenesis, glial responses or neuroinflammation. Experimental Neurology 279:86-95.
• Dent, K. A., Christie, K. J., Bye, N., Basrai, H. S., Turbić, A., Habgood, M., Cate, H. S., and Turnley, A. M. (2015). Oligodendrocyte birth and death following traumatic brain injury in adult mice. PLoS ONE10(3):e0121541.
• Uren, R.T., Turbić, A., Wong, A.W., Klein, R., Murray, S.S., and Turnley, A.M. (2014). A novel role of suppressor of cytokine signaling-2 in the regulation of TrkA neurotrophin receptor biology. Journal of Neurochemistry 129(4):614-27.
• Merson, T.D., Castelletto, S., Aharonovich,I.,Turbić, A., Kilpatrick, T.J., and Turnley, A.M. (2013). Nanodiamonds with silicon vacancy defects for nontoxic photostable fluorescent labeling of neural precursor cells. Optics Letters 38(20):4170-3.
• Christie, K.J., Turbić, A., and Turnley, A.M. (2013). Adult hippocampal neurogenesis, Rho kinase inhibition and enhancement of neuronal survival. Neuroscience 5;247:75-83.
• Turbić, A., Leong, S.Y., and Turnley, A.M. (2011). Chemokines and inflammatory mediators interact to regulate adult murine neural precursor cell proliferation, survival and differentiation. PLoS One 6(9):e25406.
• Leong, S.Y., Faux, C.H., Turbić, A., Dixon, K.J., and Turnley, A.M. (2011). The Rho kinase pathway regulates mouse adult neural precursor cell migration. Stem Cells 29(2):332-43.
• Pettolino, F., Sasaki, I., Turbić, A., Wilson, S.M., Bacic, A., Hrmova, M., and Fincher, G.B. (2009). Hyphal cell walls from the plant pathogen Rhynchosporium secalis contain (1,3/1,6)-beta-D-glucans, galacto- and rhamnomannans, (1,3;1,4)-beta-D-glucans and chitin. FEBS Journal 276(14):3698-709.
• Lum, M., Turbić, A., Mitrovic, B., and Turnley, A.M. (2009). Fibroblast growth factor-9 inhibits astrocyte differentiation of adult mouse neural progenitor cells. Journal of Neuroscience Research 87(10):2201-10.
• Turbić, A., Ahokas, J.T., and Haskard, C.A. (2002). Selective in vitro binding of dietary mutagens, individually or in combination, by lactic acid bacteria. Food Additives and Contaminants 19(2):144-52.