- About
- People
- Clinical Trials
- Key Publications
- Funding
- Collaborations
The Adelaide GTRAC (Geriatrics Training and Research with Aged Care) Centre is part of the School of Medicine, University of Adelaide and includes the Aged & Extended Care Services at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (TQEH) and Basil Hetzel Institute. GTRAC also has a north-eastern community base on a residential aged care campus (Resthaven Inc.) in the suburb of Paradise.
The Adelaide-GTRAC Centre is also associated with the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Frailty and Healthy Ageing and the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence Translating Nutritional Science To Good Health based at the Royal Adelaide Hospital through Professor Renuka Visvanathan who is an associate investigator with that centre. The GTRAC centre has an extensive collaborative academic network including aged care organisations (e.g. Resthaven Inc., ECH, Southern Cross, ACH, Helping Hand etc.), local councils (e.g. Campbelltown) and consumer groups (e.g. Council of the Ageing). The team has a focus on geriatric syndromes including frailty, undernutrition, falls, polypharmacy and dementia.
We are on the look out for high quality PhD students from clinical disciplines interested in frailty research. Students with 1st class honours or research experience are encouraged to apply. For further information, please contact Professor Renuka Visvanathan.
Watch this video to learn more.
Researchers
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Professor Renuka Visvanathan
Position: Director
Group: Adelaide GTRAC Centre
Theme: Ageing
Email: [email protected]
Profile: View profile
UofA: Renuka Visvanathan
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Associate Professor Solomon Yu
Position: Deputy Director
Group: Adelaide GTRAC Centre
Theme: Ageing
Email: [email protected]
Profile: View profile
UofA: Solomon Yu
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Dr Bavand Bikdeli
Position: Clinician
Group: Adelaide GTRAC Centre
Theme: Ageing
Profile: View profile
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Dr Joanne Dollard
Position: Postdoctoral Researcher
Group: Adelaide GTRAC Centre
Theme: Ageing
Phone: +61 8 8222 7349
Email: [email protected]
Profile: View profile
UoA: Joanne Dollard
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Dr Agathe Daria Jadczak
Position: Postdoctoral Researcher
Group: Adelaide GTRAC Centre
Theme: Ageing
Email: [email protected]
Profile: View profile
UoA: Agathe Daria Jadczak
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Jarrod Lange
Position: Senior Research Consultant (GIS)
Group: Adelaide GTRAC Centre
Theme: Ageing
Email: [email protected]
Profile: View profile
UoA: Jarrod Lange
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Dr Mark Q Thompson
Position: Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Group: Adelaide GTRAC Centre
Theme: Ageing
Email: [email protected]
Profile: View profile
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Dr Anna Ali
Position: Research Officer
Group: Adelaide GTRAC Centre
Theme: Ageing
Email: [email protected]
Profile: View profile
ResearchGate: Anna Ali
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Dr Jayanthi Selvam
Position: Research Officer
Group: Adelaide GTRAC Centre
Theme: Ageing
Email: [email protected]
Profile: View profile
Students
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Dr Sally Ahip
Position: Student
Group: Adelaide GTRAC Centre
Theme: Ageing
Email: [email protected]
Profile: View profile
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Associate Professor Anupam Datta Gupta
Position: Student
Group: Adelaide GTRAC Centre
Theme: Ageing
Email: [email protected]
Profile: View profile
Research Gate: Anupam Datta Gupta
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Dr Kareeann Khow
Position: Student
Group: Adelaide GTRAC Centre
Theme: Ageing
Email: [email protected]
Profile: View profile
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Dr James Smyth
Position: Student
Group: Adelaide GTRAC Centre
Theme: Ageing
Phone: +61 8 8222 6000
Email: [email protected]
Profile: View profile
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Unyime Jasper
Position: Student
Group: Adelaide GTRAC Centre
Theme: Ageing
Email: [email protected]
Profile: View profile
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Dr Reena Tewari
Position: Student
Group: Adelaide GTRAC Centre
Theme: Ageing
Email: [email protected]
Profile: View profile
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Dr Tomomichi Sakai
Position: Student
Group: Adelaide GTRAC Centre
Theme: Ageing
Email: [email protected]
Profile: View profile
Additional Staff
| NAME | POSITION | QUALIFICATION |
|---|---|---|
| Professor Renuka Visvanathan | Clinical Director | PhD GradCertEd (Higher Ed.) FRACP FANZSGM MBBS ATCL |
| Dr Solomon Yu | Deputy Director | PhD FRACP MBBS LTCL |
| Professor Anne Wilson | ||
| Professor David Wilson | ||
| Senior Lecturer | ||
| Kareeann Khow | ||
| Bivand Bikdeli | ||
| Graeme Tucker | ||
| Neha Mahajan | PhD MPsych MAPsychol BA | |
| Clinical Senior Lecturer | ||
| Dr Faizal Ibrahim | FRACP CCT UK MRCP MBBCh LRCPSI | |
| Dr Pazhvoor Shibu | FRACP MD CCT UK MRCP MBBS | |
| Clinical Lecturer | ||
| Dr Khai Tham | Dip PalMed FRACP MBBS | |
| Lecturer | ||
| Kandiah Umapathysivam | ||
| Clinical Nurse | ||
| Kathy Bray | ||
| Visiting Research/Clinical Observers | ||
| Gabriel Ding Teck Yong | ||
| Ronaldo Delmonte Piovezan | ||
| Adminstrative Staff | ||
| Leonie Baker | Research Manager, CRE Frailty and Healthy Ageing | BSc(Hons) Grad Dip Bus Administration (GDip BA) |
Recent Student Alumni
| Name | Degree Completed | Year | Thesis title | Supervisors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Beatriz Martins | PhD, The University of Adelaide. Dean’s Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence. | 2020 | Built environment and frailty: Understanding the influence of neighbourhood on older people's health | Visvanathan R, Barrie H |
| Dr Mark Thompson | PhD, The University of Adelaide | 2020 | Frailty in older adults: Findings from Longitudinal Studies | Visvanathan R, Theou O |
| Dr Clare McNally | PhD, The University of Adelaide | 2019 | An exploratory investigation of the oral health of hospitalised older people | Adams R, Visvanathan R, Liberali S |
| Dr Ruth Teh | MSc(Medical Science), The University of Adelaide | 2018 | A health information tool to prevent falls | Visvanathan R, Wilson A, Mahajan N |
| Dr Agathe Daria Jadczak | PhD, The University of Adelaide | 2018 | Exercise and older people: Strategies to prevent, treat and delay frailty | Visvanathan R, Luscombe N |
| Dr WMASB Wickramasinghe | PhD, The University of Adelaide | 2017 | Ambulatory monitoring using passive RFID technology | Ranasinghe D, Visvanathan R |
| Dr Shailaja Nair | MPhil, The University of Adelaide | 2015 | Post-prandial hypotension, gait and exercise in the elderly | Visvanathan R, Gentilcore D |
| Ms Zoe Kopsaftis | 1st class Honours, The University of Adelaide | 2014 | Post-prandial hypotension and falls in the elderly | Gentilcore D, Visvanathan R |
| Dr Solomon Yu | PhD, The University of Adelaide. Dean’s Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence. | 2014 | Sarcopenia in older people | Adams R, Visvanathan R |
| Dr Elsa Dent | PhD, The University of Adelaide. Dean’s Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence. | 2013 | An investigation into undernutrition and frailty in hospitalised older persons | |
Recent Staff Alumni
| Name | Current position | Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Shirantha Adikari | Geriatrician, Cairns Hospital | Cairns, Queensland | ||
| Dr Katherine Flynn | Geriatrician, Repatriation General Hospital | Adelaide, South Australia | ||
| Dr Teena Silakong | Palliative Care Physician, Modbury General Hospital | Adelaide, South Australia | ||
| Dr Angela Teh | General Physician, Royal Adelaide Hospital | Adelaide, South Australia | ||
| Dr Naresh Makwana | Professor of Community Medicine, MP Shah Medical College | Jamnagar, Gjarat, India | ||
| Dr Pradeep Pithadia | Associate Professor of Community Medicine | Jamnagar, Gjarat, India | ||
Judo-based exercise study to prevent falls and harm from falling
Interested?
Read this Judo Project Study Flyer or contact Ms Agathe Daria Jadczak via phone +61 8 8133 4012 (Mon-Wed) or email: [email protected] to confirm your eligibility for this study.
The 5 publications highlighted here are all published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association which is the second highest ranked geriatrics clinical journal internationally. For more recent publications refer to the Publication List provided for each financial year.
Sanford AM, Orrell M, Tolson D, Abbatecola AM, Arai H, Bauer JM, Cruz-Jentoft AJ, Dong B, Ga H, Goel A, Hajjar R, Holmerova I, Katz PR, Koopmans RT, Rolland Y, Visvanathan R, Woo J, Morley JE, Vellas B. An international definition for ‘nursing home’. J Am Med Dir Assoc; 2015; 16 (3): 181-184.
Nair S, Visvanathan R, Gentilcore D. Intermittent Walking: A Potential Treatment For Older People With Postprandial Hypotension. J Am Med Dir Assoc; 2015; 16(2): 160-164.
Kaehr R, Visvanathan R, Malmstrom T, Morley J. Frailty in Nursing Homes: The FRAIL-NH Scale. J Am Med Dir Assoc; 2015; 16(2): 87-89.
Yu S, Appleton S, Adams R, Wittert G, Visvanathan T, Visvanathan R. Diagnostic accuracy of locally determined anthropometric-based appendicular skeletal muscle prediction equation in predicting low muscle mass. J Am Med Dir Assoc; 2015; 16(1): 25-30.
Bauer J, Biolo G, Cederholm T, Cesari M, Jentoft AC, Morley JE, Phillips S, Sieber C, Stehle P, Teta D, Visvanathan R, Volpi E, Boirie Y. Evidence-based recommendations for optimal dietary protein intake in older people: a position paper from the PROT-AGE study group. J Am Med Dir Assoc; 2013; 14 (8): 542-59.
Patents
Patent Application (#2012903239): A system, method and software application for determining movement. Ranasinghe D and Visvanathan R.
| Chief Investigators | Granting Body | Project Title | Type of Grant | Total Grant Amount | Funding Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maddern G, Inacio M, Visvanathan R, Karnon J | Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) | Mobile X-ray services provided within residential aged care facilities | MRFF Targeted Health System and Community Organisation Research Project | $1,970,000 | 2020-2022 |
| Soebarto V, Pisaniello D, Zuo J, Williamson T, Hansen A, Visvanathan R | Australian Research Council | Improving thermal conditions in housing to support ageing in place | Discovery Grant | $413,000 | 2018 - 2020 |
| Gupta AD | The Hospital Research Foundation (THRF) | Efficacy of Botulinum toxin A on walking and quality of life in post-stroke lower limb spacticity - a randomised double blind placebo controlled study | Project Grant | $105,000 | 2018 - 2020 |
| Taylor D | The Hospital Research Foundation (THRF) | Inequalities in neighbourhood accessibility: implications for frailty and healthy ageing | THRF Mid Career Fellowship | $420,000 | 2017 - 2020 |
| Wesselingh S, Visvanathan R, Whitehead C, Russell P, Daniel M, Roder D, Stanley A, Griffith L, Karnon J, Miller C, Phillips P, Denson L, Ward L, Gill T, Ratcliffe J, Walters J, Kerrins E | Government of South Australia | Measuring and intervening for healthy ageing in South Australia - R Visvanathan compenent: Frailty in Residential Sector Over Time (FIRST) Study | Premier's Research and Industry Fund Research Consortia Program | $4,000,000 | 2017 - 2020 |
| Visvanathan R, Karnon J, Kitson A, Beilby J, Cameron I, Chehade M, Bell S, Feist H | NHMRC (#1102208) | Frailty Trans-Disciplinary Research To Achieve Healthy Ageing | Centres of Research Excellence - Health Services | $2,301,169 | 2016 - 2020 |
| Visvanathan R | The Hospital Research Foundation (THRF) | Frailty to achieve healthy ageing | Challenge funding | $625,000 | 2016 - 2020 |
| Ahip SS, Visvanathan R, Shariff S, Theou O | The Ministry of Health Malaysia | The Malaysian Pictorial Fit-Frail Scale (M-PFFS): Development and testing of feasibility, validity and reliability in Malaysia | National Institutes of Health Research Grant | MYR $282,400 | 2017 - 2019 |
| Visvanathan R, Hill K, Ranasinghe D, Lange K, Wilson A | NHMRC (#1082197) | Effectiveness of an Ambient Intelligence Geriatric Management system (AmbIGeM) to prevent falls in older people in hospitals: the AmbIGeM stepped wedge randomised trial | Project Grant | $1,646,080 | 2016 - 2019 |
| Khow K | NHMRC (#1133707) | Fragility fractures and outcomes in older people | Postgraduate Research Scholarship | $86,733 | 2017 - 2019 |
| Horowitz M, Wittert G, Clifton P, Blackshaw LA, Rayner C, Chapman I, Feinle-Bisset C, Jones K, Noakes M, Chapman M. Associate Investigators: Beckett E, Deane A, Heilbronn L, Kitson A, Little T, Luscombe-Marsh N, Nguyen N, Page A, Shi Z, Turnbull D, Visvanathan R, Young R | NHMRC | Translating Nutritional Science to Good Health | Centre For Research Excellence | $2,499,990 | 2012 - 2017 |
| Chapman I, Visvanathan R, Naganathan V, Hunter P, Karnon J, Horowitz M, Lange K, Cameron I | NHMRC | The effects of testosterone and a nutritional supplement on hospital admissions in under-nourished, older people | Project Grant | $1,018,438 | 2010 - 2012 |
| Jones KL, Gentilcore D, Visvanathan R, Chapman I, Rayner C, Horowitz M | NHMRC | Gastric, small intestinal and cardiovascular mechanisms of postprandial hypotension | Project Grant | $676,500 | 2010 - 2012 |
| Partner Site: F Ibrahim/CALHN | Department of Social Services | The impact of the Dementia Care in Hospitals Program in improving the quality of life and adverse events in acute hospital patients with cognitive impairment: A stepped wedge cluster randomized trial. The Dementia Care in Hospitals Program (DCHP) – Pilot National Rollout and Evaluation | Australian Government grant | $200,000 | 2015 - 2016 |
| Visvanathan R | Northern Communities Health Foundation Grant | The effects of exercise in combination with a commercially available nutritional supplement in older people at-risk of sarcopenia: A Pilot Study | $50,000 | 2014 | |
| Shibu PK | Novartis | Impact of a pilot fracture liaison service coordinator on the care of older patients presenting to hospital with a fragility fracture | Educational grant | $20,000 | 2014 |
| Co-investigators: Ratcliffe J, Luszcz M, Doyle C, Visvanathan R | Flinders University | Incorporating older peoples’ preferences into the design and delivery of dementia diagnostic services | DVCR (Research) Near Miss Grant | $20,000 | 2014 |
| Bell S; co-investigators: Hilmer S, Vitry A, Visvanathan R | Alzheimer’s Australia - Resthaven | Analgesic load, pain and daytime sedation in people with dementia in aged care facilities | Dementia Grant | $150,000 | 2013 |
| Co-investigators: Jones K, Gentilcore D, Visvanathan R, Chapman IM, Rayner CK, A Deane, Horowitz M | Hanson Institute, Royal Adelaide Hospital | Assessment of splanchnic blood flow in humans | Equipment Grant | $65,000 | 2011 |
| Visvanathan R | The Hospital Research Foundation (THRF) | Equipment Grant (Supported By Kidman Park Rotary Club) | $40,250 | 2010 | |
| Adams, R, Wilson D, Hill C, Visvanathan R, Ruffin R, Wittert G | TQEH Research Foundation [now the The Hospital Research Foundation] | The Health Observatory- promoting a multi-disciplinary, multi-sectoral approach to health innovation | Program Grant | $1,250,000 | 2009-2013 |
Australian Collaborators
| Collaborator | Position | Institution | City | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Natalie Luscombe-Marsh | CSIRO | Adelaide | South Australia | |
| Professor Julie Ratcliffe | Health Economics | Flinders University | Adelaide | South Australia |
| Dr Diana Piscitelli | Senior Lecturer, Nuclear Medicine | University of South Australia | Adelaide | South Australia |
| Professor Justin Beilby | General Practice | Torrens University | Adelaide | South Australia |
| Dr Damith Ranasinghe | Director, Adelaide Auto-ID Lab and Faculty of Engineering and Computer Sciences | University of Adelaide | Adelaide | South Australia |
| Professor John Karnon | Health Economics, School of Population Health | University of Adelaide | Adelaide | South Australia |
| Professor Alison Kitson | School of Nursing | University of Adelaide | Adelaide | South Australia |
| Dr Helen Barrie | Discipline of Geography, Environment and Population | University of Adelaide | Adelaide | South Australia |
| Associate Professor Michael Reed | Robinson Institute | University of Adelaide | Adelaide | South Australia |
| Professor Ian Chapman | CRE Translating Nutritional Science To Good Health | University of Adelaide | Adelaide | South Australia |
| Professor Karen Jones | CRE Translating Nutritional Science To Good Health | University of Adelaide | Adelaide | South Australia |
| Professor Michael Horowitz | CRE Translating Nutritional Science To Good Health | University of Adelaide | Adelaide | South Australia |
| Dr Sharmalar Rajendran | Department of Cardiology | The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (TQEH) | Adelaide | South Australia |
| Ms Kylie Lange | CRE Translating Nutritional Science To Good Health | University of Adelaide | Adelaide | South Australia |
| Dr Tim Schultz | School of Nursing | University of Adelaide | Adelaide | South Australia |
| Professor Keith Hill | Head of School, School of Physiotherapy | Curtin University | Perth | Western Australia |
| Professor Ian Cameron | Rehabilitation Studies Unit, Sydney Medical School | University of Sydney | Sydney | New South Wales |
| Associate Professor Simon Bell | Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science: Centre of Medicine Use and Safety | Monash University | Melbourne | Victoria |
| Dr Anne-Marie Vallence | School of Pyshcology and Exercise Science | Murdoch University | Perth | Western Australia |
| Associate Professor Vasi Naganathan | Centre for Education and Research on Ageing (CERA) & Staff Specialist in Geriatric Medicine | University of Sydney & Concord Hospital | Sydney | New South Wales |
| Associate Professor Sarah Hilmer | Northern Clinical School & Staff Specialist, Clinical Pharmacology and Aged Care | University of Sydney & Royal North Shore Hospital | Sydney | New South Wales |
| Associate Professor Peter Hunter | Clinical Program Director Rehabilitation and Aged Care | Alfred Health | Melbourne | Victoria |
International Collaborators
- Professor Matteo Cesari is a geriatrician based at the Gérontopôle, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse (Toulouse, France). Professor Cesari is the coordinator of the European Union Geriatric Medicine Society (EUGMS) Working Group on ‘Frailty in older persons’. He is one of the scientific coordinators of the ‘Sarcopenia and physical frailty in older people: multicomponent treatment strategies’ (SPRINTT) study, a scientific project funded by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (overall budget about €48 million) focused on providing all the necessary information and tools to identify older people with frailty and sarcopenia.
- Professor John Morley is a geriatrician and Divisional Director of Geriatrics at St Louis University (SLU), Missouri, USA. He has published more than 1000 papers and lead the International Consensus Committee on Frailty. He was recently on an advisory committee with Professor Cesari to the World Health Organisation initiative to develop worldwide strategies to screen for and treat frailty.
- Professor Ken Rockwood is a geriatrician based at Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada with research expertise in clinical and epidemiological frailty. His work has been cited in 25,000+ articles and 62 of his articles have been cited more 100+ times. He pioneered the cumulative deficit model to diagnose frailty (the second most commonly used definition of frailty). He also developed the Clinical Frailty Scale and the Hierarchical Assessment of Balance and Mobility tool which have been widely used in geriatric and specialty setting by researchers and clinicians in Canada and internationally.
International Visitors to GTRAC
- 2015: Dr Olga Theou, Banting Post-doctoral Fellow, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada
- 2013: Dr Roberto Hernandez, Geriatrics Registrar, National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition
- 2011-2013: A/Prof Gopi Gopal, Geriatrician, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
