The Laboratory of Ageing and Pharmacology aims to ensure that older people receive the best possible healthcare. We focus on improving prevention and management of common challenges in old age like multiple medical conditions, frailty, falls and confusion.
Our team, led by Prof Sarah Hilmer AM, conducts research spanning bench to bedside to optimise personalised medicine for older adults. Older people often take many medications together (polypharmacy) and are vulnerable to adverse drug reactions. We study the effects of medications, particularly when taken in polypharmacy combinations, by frail older people or those living with dementia. These people are under-represented in the clinical trials that inform current treatment guidelines.
We conduct laboratory, clinical, population-based and implementation research to understand the therapeutic effects of and adverse drug reactions from medications in older adults. We have developed, validated and implemented a pharmacological risk assessment tool, the Drug Burden Index. We study the fundamental mechanisms by which some medications or combinations can cause harm in old age. Our findings help clinicians detect, predict, prevent and reverse functional decline related to medicines.
Our team works closely with older people and multidisciplinary clinicians to align our research with what matters most and implement the findings into practice at scale. Our research meets the needs of the population of the Northern Sydney Local Health District, which is one of the oldest in Australia. We prioritise research advancement, education, mentorship, capacity building, collaboration, translation and implementation.
We are proudly part of the Penney Ageing Research Unit, which conducts aged care research on the Royal North Shore Hospital campus.
Lead
People
Network
Projects
Professor Sarah Hilmer
Head, Ageing and Pharmacology Laboratory
Head of Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Royal North Shore Hospital
Conjoint Professor of Geriatric Pharmacology, The University of Sydney
Dr John Mach
Senior Research Fellow
Laboratory Manager (Basic Science Branch), The University of Sydney
Dr Lisa Kouladjian-O’Donnell
Senior Lecturer
Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney
Dr Kenji Fujita
Research Fellow
Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney
Dr Nashwa Masnoon
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney
Dr Noriko Sato
Research Fellow
School of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney
Dr Arpita Das
Research Program Manager, Frailty Measurement
The University of Sydney
Sarita Lo
Research Pharmacist, Northern Sydney Local Health District
Kevin Winardi
Scientific Officer, Northern Sydney Local Health District
Temitope Esther Afolabi
PhD Candidate (Pharmacist)
Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney
Royal North Shore Hospital (NSLHD)
Josie Hughes
Research Assistant, The University of Sydney
Shumin Tan
Research Assistant, The University of Sydney
Maureen Bartels
Secretary, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Royal North Shore Hospital
Associate Professor Edwin Tan
Sydney Pharmacy School, The University of Sydney
Dr Susan Ogle
Senior Staff Specialist, Department of Aged Care, Royal North Shore Hospital
Books:
A Lasting Conversation: Stories on Ageing
Falling and Flying
Dr Connie Vogler
Program Manager, Sydney Health Partners
Geriatric Medicine, Clinical Academic Group, The University of Sydney
Dr James Hardy
Clinical Senior Lecturer, The University of Sydney
Head of Department and Senior Staff Specialist, Department of Aged Care, Royal North Shore Hospital
Dr Kevin Chang
Clinical Senior Lecturer, The University of Sydney
Senior Staff Specialist, Department of Aged Care, Royal North Shore Hospital
Dr Bonnie Liu
Staff Specialist Geriatrician, Royal North Shore Hospital
Clinical Lecturer, The University of Sydney
Dr Helen Wu
Senior Lecturer, The University of Sydney
Senior Staff Specialist, Department of Aged Care, Royal North Shore Hospital
Dr Carol Hunter
Staff Specialist Geriatrician, Royal North Shore Hospital
PhD Candidate, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney
