Sonja Klebe

Sonja Klebe is an Associate Professor at Flinders University's College of Medicine and Public Health and a senior staff specialist in Diagnostic Pathology at Flinders Medical Centre. She is a Clinical Academic with expertise in pleuropulmonary pathology and molecular pathology, specializing in mesothelioma and asbestos-related diseases. Her work bridges clinical practice and academic research, contributing significantly to the field of pathology with over 100 peer-reviewed publications and 5 book chapters.

Her educational background includes:

• MD in Biochemistry from the Free University of Berlin
• PhD in Immunology and Gene Therapy from Flinders University (2000)
• Fellowship from the Royal Australasian College of Pathologists (RCPA) (2005)

Sonja Klebe's research focuses on asbestos-related disorders, particularly lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma. She has concentrated on their diagnosis, pathogenesis, and molecular alterations for over 14 years. Her work includes clinically relevant basic research applications and extensive case analysis, having personally examined or reviewed hundreds of mesothelioma cases. She has collaborated with Professor Henderson since 2000 and trained with Prof Victor Roggli of Duke University in 2008 specifically on mesothelioma diagnosis. She has co-authored the 176-page chapter on Neoplasms of the Pleura in Dail and Hammar's Pulmonary Pathology.

Her recent publications show a strong focus on mesothelioma diagnosis, treatment, and epidemiology. The research spans immunotherapy approaches, diagnostic accuracy across different medical centers, incidence trends in Australia, and novel prognostic methods. This reflects her commitment to improving both the understanding and clinical management of asbestos-related diseases through evidence-based pathology practices.

Her notable awards and recognitions include:

• Founding Fellow Faculty of Sciences, RCPA (FFSc) since 2011
• Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (FRCPA) since 2005
• 7-year appointment as Chief Examiner for the RCPA
• Member of the International Mesothelioma Panel
• Contributor to the WHO blue books

Professor Klebe has successfully supervised 7 honours and 6 PhD students to completion, including one PhD on molecular alterations in mesothelioma. She has served as an expert witness in mesothelioma cases for the courts and contributed to medicolegal reports since 2005. Her 7-year tenure as Chief Examiner for the RCPA underscores her standing as an expert in pathological processes. She regularly serves as an expert on diagnosis in mesothelioma to the courts and has been an invited speaker at numerous national and international conferences.

She is actively involved in professional organizations including the Pulmonary Pathology Society, the International Mesothelioma Interest Group (IMIG), and the IASLC staging committee. She heads the mesothelioma structured reporting for the Lung Expert Group developing the Lung Cancer Structured Reporting Protocol for the RCPA and is an invited author for the WHO classification of lung and pleural tumours. She is also a member of the organising Committee of iMIG 2020 and IASLC world lung cancer conference 2020 (Mesothelioma).