RESEARCHER PROFILE
Georgina Hughes,
Pharmacist & PhD Candidate
University of South Australia Clinical and Health Sciences
Registry of Senior Australians (ROSA)
South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute
Georgina Hughes is a pharmacist & PhD Candidate with the University of South Australia Clinical and Health Sciences and the Registry of Senior Australians (ROSA), undertaking research at South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).
Georgina’s PhD study and first published paper was on how to improve the safe and effective use of antidepressant medicines and optimise quality use of medicines in older people accessing residential aged care.
The study, published in the Journal of American Medical Directors Association (JAMDA), was led by Georgina, in collaboration with Professor Maria Inacio and Associate Professor Janet Sluggett. It’s Australia’s first national study investigating the use of antidepressants among older people living in residential aged care homes across the country, analysing the de-identified data of 779,659 residents from 3,371 aged care homes, between 2006 and 2019.
“We found antidepressants were used by 46.1% of residents in 2006 and this increased to 58.5% of residents in 2019,” Ms Hughes said.
“Nearly six in every ten residents of aged care homes are using an antidepressant, which is much higher than use in the general older population.”
The use of antidepressant medicines among older people in aged care homes in Australia is high, and there is a need for better mental health support and safer use of antidepressants to improve clinical care and health outcomes for older people.
Antidepressant medicines can have side effects, especially in older people, and Australia is one of the largest consumers globally.
Almost 60% of aged care home residents are using antidepressant medicines, prompting the need to investigate the reasons for such high usage.
Georgina talks to how big data is crucial in understanding and improving the use of antidepressant medicines in aged care, leading to better clinical care and health outcomes for older people in Australia.
Georgina is passionate about practice-informing, translational and innovative research to improve quality use of medicines and health outcomes.
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Nanoparticles & microparticles to combat antimicrobial resistance
Dr Anjana Jayasree is an emerging research leader in biomaterials, tissue engineering and nanotechnology, recognised internationally for her innovative work on antimicrobial nanoparticles and regenerative therapies. A Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The University of Queensland, she operates at the intersection of materials science, drug delivery and cellular biology, developing advanced metallic-based nanotechnologies to improve both human and animal health outcomes. Her expertise spans nanoparticle synthesis, cell–material interactions, and the design of sophisticated in vitro models to investigate soft-tissue integration, osseointegration, angiogenesis and biofilm formation.
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Electrical stimulation on organic conductors
Professor Gordon Wallace AO is the Founder and Director of the Intelligent Polymer Research Institute (IPRI) at the University of Wollongong and Founding Director of the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF) Materials Node. He was previously the Executive Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES).
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Life-changing donor milk for preterm babies
Dr Laura Klein is National Milk Research Leader at Australian Red Cross Lifeblood. Australian Red Cross Lifeblood is funded by Australian governments to provide life-giving blood, plasma, and transplantation and biological products.
Dr Klein works with clinicians and researchers across Australia to understand how donated breast milk can be used to improve outcomes for vulnerable babies. She’s passionate about generating evidence to improve the products and services that milk banks provide to donors and the families who receive donated breast milk.
