Chronic Disease Prevention and Healthy Ageing

Group Head

Chronic Disease Prevention and Healthy Ageing within the Department of Medicine is a part of the Healthy Ageing Research.

Research topics

Biomarkers in obesity, diabetes and related chronic diseases

Overview

Investigating disease biomarkers including dietary risk factors, inflammation markers, advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), microbiome, lipidomics.

Major Current Projects

  • Inflammatory markers and adipokines in obesity, gestational diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease
  • Role of AGEs in diabetes and cardiovascular diseases
  • Lipidomics in obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, gestational diabetes and PCOS
  • Microbiome in obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease
  • Dietary risk factors in obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases
  • Genetic factors in obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases
Major Collaborations Staff and students

National

  • Dr Marloes Dekker Nitert, The University of Queensland
  • A/Prof Allison Hodge, Victorian Cancer Council
  • Prof Peter Meikle, Baker IDI
  • Prof Josephine Forbes, The University of Queensland
  • Prof Magdalena Plebanski, RMIT

International

  • A/Prof Jose Fernandez-Real, Biomedical Research Institute of Girona, Spain
  • Prof Susanne Bugel, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Prof Lars Dragsted, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Prof Peter Reaven, Veterans Affair Hospital, USA
  • Prof Jaime Uribarri, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA

Postdoctoral Fellows

  • A/Prof Zhong X Lu
  • Dr Lisa Grech
  • Dr Nazmul Karim
  • Dr Kevin Lee
  • Dr Aya Mousa
  • Dr Negar Naderpoor
  • Dr Paul Jansons
  • Dr Dilek Tuncel

Research Assistants

  • Ms Janet Harding
  • Dr Rohit Hariharan
  • Mr Joshua Mardan

PhD students

  • Ms Mavil Cervo
  • Ms Anoohya Gandham
  • Mr Emmanuel Nene Odjidja
  • Dr Rohit Hariharan
  • Ms. Saeede Saadati
  • Mr Robel Hussen Kabthymer

Low-cost Interventions for Prevention and Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes and Related Chronic Diseases

Overview

Investigating role of diets, nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals for prevention and treatment of diabetes and related chronic diseases

Major Current Projects

Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs)

  • Diets low in AGEs and prevention of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease
  • Diets low in AGEs in fertility

Vitamin D

  • Vitamin D and prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases
  • Influence of genetic factors in vitamin D pathway on glucose metabolism

Carnosine

  • Carnosine supplementation and prevention of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors
  • Carnosine supplementation and management of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors
  • Carnosine supplementation and management of peripheral vascular diseases

Nutrigenomics

  • Nutrigenomics for personalised nutrition and prevention and treatment of chronic diseases

Exercise

  • Role of TGF Beta as a novel target for treatment of insulin resistance in PCOS
  • Impact of high intensity training on TGF Beta signalling
Major Collaborations Staff and students

National

  • Prof James Cameron, Monash University
  • Prof Timothy Buckenham, Monash University
  • Dr David Scott, Deakin University
  • Ms Shelley Gorman, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth
  • Prof Josephine Forbes, The University of Queensland

International

  • A/Prof Barbara Ukropcova, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
  • Prof Wim Derave, University of Ghent, Belgium
  • Prof Giancarlo Aldini, University of Milan, Italy
  • Prof Aruni Bhatnagar, University of Louisville, USA
  • Prof Jaime Uribarri, Mount Sinai, USA
  • Prof Susanne Bugel, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Prof Lars Dragsted, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Prof Robert Scragg, University of Auckland, New Zealand

Postdoctoral Fellows

  • A/Prof Zhong X Lu
  • Dr Lisa Grech
  • Dr Nazmul Karim
  • Dr Kevin Lee
  • Dr Aya Mousa
  • Dr Negar Naderpoor
  • Dr Paul Jansons
  • Dr Dilek Tuncel

Research Assistants

  • Ms Janet Harding
  • Dr Rohit Hariharan
  • Mr Joshua Mardan

Research Nurses

  • Ms Amanda Hulley
  • Ms Joanne Lillie

PhD students

  • Ms Mavil Cervo
  • Ms Anoohya Gandham
  • Mr Emmanuel Nene Odjidja
  • Dr Rohit Hariharan
  • Ms. Saeede Saadati
  • Mr Robel Hussen Kabthymer

Quality improvement in prescribing quality to reduce medication-related harm and improve clinical outcomes

Overview

The burden of medication-related harm is now a global public health issue, and ensuring medication safety is a key challenge endorsed by the World Health Organisation in the third global patient safety challenge. In Australia, it is estimated that 250,000 hospital admissions, and an additional 400,000 emergency department presentations per annum, are likely due to medication-related problems, costing the Australian healthcare system AU$1.4 billion annually. About half of these medication-related problems are preventable. Older adults receiving many and unnecessary medications are especially vulnerable to medication-related harm. The aim of the project is to investigate the effect of use of many medications (polypharmacy), unnecessary medications and omitted medications on clinical outcomes among older adults after hospital discharge. We will examine the discharge medications of older patients discharged from two general medicine wards in a tertiary health service, and use 3-month follow up to examine the relationship between hospital discharge prescribing practices (i.e. polypharmacy, unnecessary medications, and omissions) and subsequent clinical outcomes, including independence in daily living, hospital readmissions and emergency department presentations. The outcomes will generate evidence about prescribing quality and clinical outcomes to inform quality improvement to reduce medication-related harm.

Major Collaborations Staff and students

National

  • Dr Kimberley Crawford (Monash University)
  • A/Prof Bernice Redley (Deakin University)
  • Prof Elizabeth Manias (Deakin University)

Postdoctoral Fellow

  • Dr Alemayehu B Mekonnen
  • Dr Paul Jansons