Professor Ruth Hubbard
Professor

Ruth Hubbard

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Background

Ruth E. Hubbard is a Consultant Geriatrician at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and in October 2020 was appointed as the Masonic Chair of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Queensland.

She qualified from St Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London and trained in general internal medicine and geriatric medicine in Cardiff, Wales. As a clinical academic, she has always combined hospital practice with research and teaching. She has completed an MSc in Medical Education, an MD on pathophysiological changes in frail older people and a post-doctoral fellowship in Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia with Professor Ken Rockwood. Here, she was able to test hypotheses regarding the determinants and manifestations of frailty through the interrogation of large datasets. She has published widely on the inflammatory aetiology of frailty, the difficulties of measuring frailty in clinical practice and the relationships between frailty and obesity, smoking, socioeconomic status and exercise. Based on the impact of her publications, she is currently ranked number 4 in a list of frailty experts worldwide (http://expertscape.com/ex/frail+elderly).

In the last 5 years, she has generated $24.5M in grant income including as CIA on the following: MRFF Dementia Ageing and Aged Care Mission ($5M), a Centre for Research Excellence in Frailty ($2.5M), an Ideas Grant ($1.6M) and the NHMRC Targeted Call for Frailty Research ($1.5M). As Founder and Director of the Australia Frailty Network (AFN), she has established a team of consumer partners, multidisciplinary clinical academics, behavioural psychologists and statisticians answering critical questions relating to the measurement and management of frailty.

Availability

Professor Ruth Hubbard is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Aged health care Biomedical and Clinical Sciences Clinical sciences Health Sciences Health services and systems

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Medicine Surgery, Imperial College
  • Masters (Coursework) of Science, Cardiff University
  • Doctoral Diploma of Medicine, Cardiff University
  • Bachelor of Science, Imperial College

Research interests

  • The Australian Frailty Network

    The Australian Frailty Network (AFN) was established in 2023 to address frailty across the Australian population. This pioneering initiative integrates research, education, policy advocacy, and practice into a cohesive strategy to improve health outcomes for people living with frailty. This research is funded by an MRFF Dementia Ageing and Aged Care Grant ($5M) Funding period: 2022 - 2027 Role: Lead, Chief Investigator A

  • FITTEST Trial

    The AFN’s flagship clinical trial FITTEST will test if a multi-domain approach to the care of mildly frail older adults will be better than a self-directed program in attenuating the progress of frailty. The trial aims to recruit 390 participants from geriatric medicine clinics across Australia. Ethics approval was obtained in early November, with the first participant expected to be randomised in July 2024.

  • Derivation, Validation and Implementation of a Digital Frailty Index for Acute Care Settings in Queensland

    Older people in hospital are at high risk of adverse outcomes, a vulnerability commonly referred to as frailty. In community-dwelling older people, frailty status can be measured precisely with a Frailty Index score. We are currently leading a research programme to develop a Frailty Index from hospital electronic medical records. This would assist clinicians to identify vulnerable older inpatients, improving their care in the acute setting. This research is funded by an NHMRC Partnership Grant ($1.5M) with Queensland Health Funding period: 2024 - 2029 Role: Lead, Chief Investigator A

  • The ReFIT Study: Reversing Frailty through Transplantation

    This program will provide new insights into the causes of frailty by comparing biological data in older people who are frail, with younger people before and after a kidney transplant. The study is a collaboration between several clinical units at the Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH) and aims to recruit 100 transplant candidates from the PAH Kidney Transplant Service, and 50 older participants from PAH outpatient clinics. This research is funded by an NHMRC Ideas Grant ($1.6M) Funding period: 2023 - 2026 Role: Lead, Chief Investigator A

  • Frailty ADD: Improving Hospital Outcomes for Frail Patients Across Different Disciplines

    This Centre of Research Excellence unites four nodes (in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth) where Australia's strongest academic geriatricians have partnered with discipline experts to build clinical and research programs. lt will investigate the relationship between frailty, medication utilisation and global health outcomes and develop a core outcome set of patient-important outcomes that can be used for all frailty research in any discipline. This new knowledge will be transferred to policy and practice by championing practice change initiatives, piloting implementation studies across different disciplines that will be nested in our Frailty Research and Translation Framework and providing frailty education and training for health care professionals. The CRE will establish a cutting-edge capacity building scaffold to train the next generation of health and medical researchers with the potential to become leaders in their fields. This research is funded by an NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence ($2.5M) with additional strategic funding from UQ ($500k) Funding period: 2022 - 2027 Role: Lead, Chief Investigator A

  • The GOAL Trial

    This cluster randomised controlled trial will test whether Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment by a geriatrician can help frail older patients with CKD improve their health and wellbeing and achieve their own goals. Uniting geriatricians and nephrologists in a cross-disciplinary collaboration for the first time at 15 hospital sites across Australia, the last participant was recruited mid-2023. Follow up is for 12 months and results will be reported in 2025. This research is funded by an NHMRC Targeted Call for Research ($1.6M) Funding period: 2020 - 2025 Role: Lead, Chief Investigator A

Search Professor Ruth Hubbard’s works on UQ eSpace

277 works between 2001 and 2025
All (277) Journal Article (180) Book Chapter (7) Conference Publication (88) Other Outputs (2)

261 - 277 of 277 works

2009

Journal Article

Neighborhood deprivation, individual socioeconomic status, and frailty in older adults

Lang, Iain A., Hubbard, Ruth E., Andrew, Melissa K., Llewellyn, David J., Melzer, David and Rockwood, Kenneth (2009). Neighborhood deprivation, individual socioeconomic status, and frailty in older adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 57 (10), 1776-1780. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2009.02480.x

Neighborhood deprivation, individual socioeconomic status, and frailty in older adults

2009

Journal Article

Attitudes to aging: a comparison of obituaries in Canada and the UK

Hubbard, Ruth E., Eeles, Eamonn M. P., Fay, Sherri and Rockwood, Kenneth (2009). Attitudes to aging: a comparison of obituaries in Canada and the UK. International Psychogeriatrics, 21 (4), 787-792. doi: 10.1017/S104161020999041X

Attitudes to aging: a comparison of obituaries in Canada and the UK

2009

Journal Article

Impact of exercise in community-dwelling older adults

Hubbard, Ruth E., Fallah, Nader, Searle, Samuel D., Mitnitski, Arnold and Rockwood, Kenneth (2009). Impact of exercise in community-dwelling older adults. PloS One, 4 (7) e6174, e6174. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0006174

Impact of exercise in community-dwelling older adults

2009

Journal Article

Comparison of clinical assessment and actigraphy in the characterization of delirium

Eeles, Eamonn M. P., Tahir, Tayyeb A., Johansen, Antony, Bisson, Jonathon I. and Hubbard, Ruth E. (2009). Comparison of clinical assessment and actigraphy in the characterization of delirium. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 67 (1), 103-104. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2009.02.003

Comparison of clinical assessment and actigraphy in the characterization of delirium

2009

Journal Article

Effect of parental age at birth on the accumulation of deficits, frailty and survival in older adults

Hubbard, Ruth E., Andrew, Melissa K. and Rockwood, Kenneth (2009). Effect of parental age at birth on the accumulation of deficits, frailty and survival in older adults. Age and Ageing, 38 (4), 380-385. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afp035

Effect of parental age at birth on the accumulation of deficits, frailty and survival in older adults

2009

Journal Article

Effect of smoking on the accumulation of deficits, frailty and survival in older adults: A secondary analysis from the Canadian study of health and aging

Hubbard, R. E., Searle, S. D., Mitnitski, A. and Rockwood, K. (2009). Effect of smoking on the accumulation of deficits, frailty and survival in older adults: A secondary analysis from the Canadian study of health and aging. Journal of Nutrition Health & Aging, 13 (5), 468-472. doi: 10.1007/s12603-009-0085-y

Effect of smoking on the accumulation of deficits, frailty and survival in older adults: A secondary analysis from the Canadian study of health and aging

2009

Journal Article

Falls and frailty: lessons from complex systems

Nowak, Abigail and Hubbard, Ruth E. (2009). Falls and frailty: lessons from complex systems. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 102 (3), 98-102. doi: 10.1258/jrsm.2009.080274

Falls and frailty: lessons from complex systems

2009

Journal Article

Characterising frailty in the clinical setting - a comparison of different approaches

Hubbard, Ruth E., O'Mahony, M. Sinead and Woodhouse, Ken W. (2009). Characterising frailty in the clinical setting - a comparison of different approaches. Age and Ageing, 38 (1), 115-119. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afn252

Characterising frailty in the clinical setting - a comparison of different approaches

2009

Journal Article

Inflammation and frailty measures in older people

Hubbard, Ruth E., O'Mahony, M. Sinead, Savva, George M., Calver, Brian L. and Woodhouse, Ken W. (2009). Inflammation and frailty measures in older people. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, 13 (9 B), 3103-3109. doi: 10.1111/j.1582-4934.2009.00733.x

Inflammation and frailty measures in older people

2008

Journal Article

Erythropoietin and anemia in aging and frailty

Hubbard, Ruth E., O'Mahony, M. Sinead and Woodhouse, Ken W. (2008). Erythropoietin and anemia in aging and frailty. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 56 (11), 2164-2165. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2008.01997.x

Erythropoietin and anemia in aging and frailty

2008

Journal Article

Plasma esterases and inflammation in ageing and frailty

Hubbard, Ruth E., O'Mahony, M. Sinead, Calver, Brian L. and Woodhouse, Ken W. (2008). Plasma esterases and inflammation in ageing and frailty. European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 64 (9), 895-900. doi: 10.1007/s00228-008-0499-1

Plasma esterases and inflammation in ageing and frailty

2008

Journal Article

Nutrition, inflammation, and leptin levels in aging and frailty

Hubbard, Ruth E., O'Mahony, M. Sinead, Calver, Brian L. and Woodhouse, Ken W. (2008). Nutrition, inflammation, and leptin levels in aging and frailty. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 56 (2), 279-284. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01548.x

Nutrition, inflammation, and leptin levels in aging and frailty

2004

Journal Article

Frailty and the geriatrician

Rockwood, K and Hubbard, R (2004). Frailty and the geriatrician. Age and Ageing, 33 (5), 429-430. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afh153

Frailty and the geriatrician

2004

Journal Article

The ageing of the population: implications for multidisciplinary care in hospital

Hubbard, RE, O'Mahony, MS, Cross, E, Morgan, A, Hortop, H, Morse, RE and Topham, L (2004). The ageing of the population: implications for multidisciplinary care in hospital. Age and Ageing, 33 (5), 479-482. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afh164

The ageing of the population: implications for multidisciplinary care in hospital

2004

Journal Article

Pancreatic insufficiency and weight loss in older patients

Coulson, JM, Jones, RD, Hubbard, RE, Woodhouse, KW, O'Mahony, MS and Wheatley, H (2004). Pancreatic insufficiency and weight loss in older patients. Qjm-An International Journal of Medicine, 97 (6), 377-378. doi: 10.1093/qjmed/hch066

Pancreatic insufficiency and weight loss in older patients

2003

Journal Article

Absence of ageism in access to critical care: a cross-sectional study

Hubbard, RE, Lyons, RA, Woodhouse, KW, Hillier, SL, Wareham, K, Ferguson, B and Major, E (2003). Absence of ageism in access to critical care: a cross-sectional study. Age and Ageing, 32 (4), 382-387. doi: 10.1093/ageing/32.4.382

Absence of ageism in access to critical care: a cross-sectional study

2001

Journal Article

Thrombolysis for acute ischaemic stroke

Hubbard, Ruth E and O'Mahony, M (2001). Thrombolysis for acute ischaemic stroke. Geriatrics & aging

Thrombolysis for acute ischaemic stroke

Current funding

  • 2025 - 2028
    Alliance for Healthy Ageing (AHA)
    NHMRC MRFF Multidisciplinary Models of Primary Care - (Stream 4)
    Open grant
  • 2025 - 2029
    Strategic Development of Real-Time Frailty Monitoring Technology to Improve Care for Older Australians (MRFF DAAC externally led by USYD)
    University of Sydney
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2029
    An automatic electronic frailty index in Australian primary care and a toolkit for action
    Bond University
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2026
    Designing a novel Frailty Model of care for Older Adults with Cancer - exploring opportunities for digital and telehealth options using a value-based health care framework
    World Cancer Research Fund International
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2029
    Co-creating rainbow-inclusive care for gender & sexually diverse people in residential aged care (MRFF led by Southern Cross University)
    Southern Cross University
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2025
    Frail-VaS: Core Outcomes Study (Queensland Advancing Clinical Research Fellowship led by Metro South HHS)
    Metro South Hospital and Health Service
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2028
    Derivation, Validation and Implementation of a Digital Frailty Index for Acute Care Settings in Queensland
    NHMRC Partnership Projects
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2025
    Sleepless in GARU? An Observational Study to Assess Sleep on the Geriatric and Rehabilitation Unit
    Metro South Health Research Support Scheme Early Career Researcher Grant
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2025
    Optimising treatment of older persons with acute myeloid leukaemia and myelodysplastic syndromes through the implementation of diagnostic and longitudinal frailty assessments
    Metro South Health Research Support Scheme Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2028
    The Ageing in Prison Longitudinal Study (A-PLUS): health and frailty trajectories of older people in prison (NHMRC CTCS led by UNSW)
    University of New South Wales
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2025
    Outcomes of importance to frail vascular surgery patients and their caregivers: A longitudinal study (Frail-VaS) (QA CRF externally led by Metro South HHS)
    Metro South Hospital and Health Service
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2025
    Development and Validation of a Self-Reported Frailty Index (Metro South Health Research Support Scheme (RSS) grant led by Metro South Health HHS)
    Metro South Hospital and Health Service
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2026
    Organ Transplantation as a Model of Reversible Frailty
    NHMRC IDEAS Grants
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2026
    INTErGenerational intervention to Reduce fraIlTY trial (INTEGRITY) (NHMRC Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies grant administered by UNSW)
    University of New South Wales
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2027
    Frailty ADD: Improving Hospital Outcomes for Frail Patients Across Different Disciplines
    NHMRC Centres of Research Excellence
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2027
    Frailty KIT: An Australian Frailty Network to Create Knowledge, Implement Findings and Support Training
    NHMRC MRFF Dementia, Ageing and Aged Care Mission
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2025
    Reducing social frailty in late adulthood
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2025
    The GOAL Trial: Comprehensive geriatric assessment for frail older people with chronic kidney disease to increase attainment of patient-identified goals: A cluster randomised controlled trial
    NHMRC Targeted Research
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2021 - 2023
    Frailty and kidney Transplantation: measurement and mechanisms (Metro South Health Research Support Scheme (RSS) grant led by Metro South Health HHS)
    Metro South Hospital and Health Service
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2023
    Increasing Attainment of Patient-Identified Goals through Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment: A Controlled Trial for Frail Older People with Lung Cancer.
    Metro South Hospital and Health Service
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2023
    Frailty-stratified randomised controlled bayesian adaptive trial of bortezomib versus lenalidomide in transplant-ineligible myeloma - the FRAIL-M study (MRFF LSCD Grant Administered by Monash)
    Monash University
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2019
    Development of a standardised preadmission assessment instrument for surgical patients (led by Ian Scott)
    Brisbane Diamantina Health Partners - Metro South
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2023
    Cluster randomised trial of a multimodal intervention to reduce antimicrobial use in residential aged care facilities
    NHMRC MRFF - Antimicrobial Resistance Targeted Call for Research
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2018
    Evaluation of the implementation of a nursing assessment system for acute care
    AusHSI Implementation Grants
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2017
    SoM Leaders Research Support for Head, PA-Southside Clinical School
    Mayne Bequest Fund
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2018
    Telehealth enabled systems to improve medicines use among persons with cognitive impairment and dementia in residential aged care facilities - 9100000 (NHMRC Partnership Centre administered by USYD)
    University of Sydney
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2017
    Early needs identification of aged care clients in acute care
    Commonwealth Department of Social Services
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2016
    Risk Stratification of Older People in Hospital: Validation and Influence on Clinical Decision Making
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2018
    Telehealth in residential aged care facilities: a pragmatic randomised control trial
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2017
    Clinical Academic Fellowship - Academic Appointment in Telegeriatrics
    Clinical Academic Fellowships
    Open grant

Availability

Professor Ruth Hubbard is:
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Supervision history

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