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)

61 - 80 of 277 works

2021

Journal Article

How frail is frail? A systematic scoping review and synthesis of high impact studies

Gordon, E. H., Reid, N., Khetani, I. S. and Hubbard, R. E. (2021). How frail is frail? A systematic scoping review and synthesis of high impact studies. BMC Geriatrics, 21 (1) 719, 719. doi: 10.1186/s12877-021-02671-3

How frail is frail? A systematic scoping review and synthesis of high impact studies

2021

Journal Article

Qualitative analysis of challenges and enablers to providing age friendly hospital care in an Australian health system

Mudge, Alison M., Young, Adrienne, McRae, Prue, Graham, Frederick, Whiting, Elizabeth and Hubbard, Ruth E. (2021). Qualitative analysis of challenges and enablers to providing age friendly hospital care in an Australian health system. BMC Geriatrics, 21 (1) 147, 1-13. doi: 10.1186/s12877-021-02098-w

Qualitative analysis of challenges and enablers to providing age friendly hospital care in an Australian health system

2021

Journal Article

The prevalence and prescribing patterns of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs in older nursing home residents in different European countries and Israel: retrospective results from the EU SHELTER study

Lukačišinová, Anna, Fialová, Daniela, Peel, Nancye May, Hubbard, Ruth Eleanor, Brkic, Jovana, Onder, Graziano, Topinková, Eva, Gindin, Jacob, Shochat, Tamar, Gray, Leonard and Bernabei, Roberto (2021). The prevalence and prescribing patterns of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs in older nursing home residents in different European countries and Israel: retrospective results from the EU SHELTER study. BMC Geriatrics, 21 (1) 277, 277. doi: 10.1186/s12877-021-02213-x

The prevalence and prescribing patterns of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs in older nursing home residents in different European countries and Israel: retrospective results from the EU SHELTER study

2021

Journal Article

Anticipating the ageing trajectories of superheroes in the Marvel cinematic universe

Fox, Sarah T., Reid, Natasha, Tornvall, Ida, Weerasekera, Shavini, Gordon, Emily and Hubbard, Ruth E. (2021). Anticipating the ageing trajectories of superheroes in the Marvel cinematic universe. The BMJ, 375 068001, e068001. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2021-068001

Anticipating the ageing trajectories of superheroes in the Marvel cinematic universe

2021

Other Outputs

Goal Attainment Scaling as an Outcome Measure for Randomised Controlled Trials: A Systematic Scoping Review

Logan, Benignus, Jegatheesan, Dev K, Viecelli, Andrea K, Pascoe, Elaine and Hubbard, Ruth E (2021). Goal Attainment Scaling as an Outcome Measure for Randomised Controlled Trials: A Systematic Scoping Review. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-1062629/v1

Goal Attainment Scaling as an Outcome Measure for Randomised Controlled Trials: A Systematic Scoping Review

2021

Journal Article

Frailty in ethnic minority women

Reid, Natasha, Weerasekera, Shavini, Hubbard, Ruth E. and Gordon, Emily H. (2021). Frailty in ethnic minority women. Maturitas, 152, 26-31. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2021.07.005

Frailty in ethnic minority women

2021

Journal Article

Mortality risk of patients in home care is modifiable

Heckman, George A., Hubbard, Ruth E. and Millar, Nigel (2021). Mortality risk of patients in home care is modifiable. CMAJ, 193 (34), E1358-E1358. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.79701

Mortality risk of patients in home care is modifiable

2021

Journal Article

Implementation and evaluation of a standardized nurse‐administered assessment of functional and psychosocial issues for patients in acute care

Peel, Nancye M., Hornby‐Turner, Yvonne C., Osborne, Sonya R., Henderson, Amanda, Hubbard, Ruth E. and Gray, Leonard C. (2021). Implementation and evaluation of a standardized nurse‐administered assessment of functional and psychosocial issues for patients in acute care. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 18 (3), 161-169. doi: 10.1111/wvn.12490

Implementation and evaluation of a standardized nurse‐administered assessment of functional and psychosocial issues for patients in acute care

2021

Journal Article

Frailty of Māori, Pasifika, and non-Māori/non-Pasifika older people in New Zealand: a national population study of older people referred for home care services

Abey-Nesbit, Rebecca, Peel, Nancye M., Matthews, Hector, Hubbard, Ruth E., Nishtala, Prasad S., Bergler, Ulrich, Deely, Joanne M., Pickering, John W., Schluter, Philip J. and Jamieson, Hamish A. (2021). Frailty of Māori, Pasifika, and non-Māori/non-Pasifika older people in New Zealand: a national population study of older people referred for home care services. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, 76 (6), 1101-1107. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glaa265

Frailty of Māori, Pasifika, and non-Māori/non-Pasifika older people in New Zealand: a national population study of older people referred for home care services

2021

Journal Article

Interventions for frail older inpatients: A systematic review of frailty measures and reported outcomes in randomised controlled trials

King, Shannon J., Raine, Kate A., Peel, Nancye M. and Hubbard, Ruth E. (2021). Interventions for frail older inpatients: A systematic review of frailty measures and reported outcomes in randomised controlled trials. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 40 (2) ajag.12951, 129-144. doi: 10.1111/ajag.12951

Interventions for frail older inpatients: A systematic review of frailty measures and reported outcomes in randomised controlled trials

2021

Journal Article

Prevalence and factors associated with Advance Health Directives in frail older inpatients

O'Leary, James Joseph, Reid, Natasha, Hubbard, Ruth E and Peel, Nancye May (2021). Prevalence and factors associated with Advance Health Directives in frail older inpatients. Internal Medicine Journal, 52 (7) imj.15338, 1160-1166. doi: 10.1111/imj.15338

Prevalence and factors associated with Advance Health Directives in frail older inpatients

2021

Conference Publication

Frailty: A cost incurred by reproduction?

Gordon, Emily, Peel, Nancye, Chatfield, Mark, Lang, Iain and Hubbard, Ruth (2021). Frailty: A cost incurred by reproduction?. The Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine Annual Scientific Meeting 2021, 20/20 Hindsight: Vision for the Future, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 19-21 May 2021. Richmond, VIC, Australia: John Wiley & Sons.

Frailty: A cost incurred by reproduction?

2021

Conference Publication

Gait speed change and its relationship to adverse outcomes in geriatric rehabilitation

Arjunan, Aparna, Hubbard, Ruth and Peel, Nancye (2021). Gait speed change and its relationship to adverse outcomes in geriatric rehabilitation. The Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine Annual Scientific Meeting, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 19 - 21 May 2021. Hoboken, NJ, United States: Wiley-Blackwell.

Gait speed change and its relationship to adverse outcomes in geriatric rehabilitation

2021

Journal Article

Developing critical thinking skills for delivering optimal care

Scott, Ian A., Hubbard, Ruth E., Crock, Carmel, Campbell, Thomas and Perera, Michael (2021). Developing critical thinking skills for delivering optimal care. Internal Medicine Journal, 51 (4), 488-493. doi: 10.1111/imj.15272

Developing critical thinking skills for delivering optimal care

2021

Journal Article

An interRAI-derived frailty index is associated with prior hospitalisations in older adults residing in retirement villages

Bloomfield, Katherine, Wu, Zhenqiang, Tatton, Annie, Calvert, Cheryl, Peel, Nancye, Hubbard, Ruth, Jamieson, Hamish, Hikaka, Joanna, Boyd, Michal, Bramley, Dale and Connolly, Martin J (2021). An interRAI-derived frailty index is associated with prior hospitalisations in older adults residing in retirement villages. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 40 (1), 66-71. doi: 10.1111/ajag.12863

An interRAI-derived frailty index is associated with prior hospitalisations in older adults residing in retirement villages

2020

Journal Article

Development and validation of a frailty index based on data routinely collected across multiple domains in NSW hospitals

Lo, Sarita Y., Zhang, Meggie, Hubbard, Ruth E., Gnjidic, Danijela, Redston, Mitchell R. and Hilmer, Sarah N. (2020). Development and validation of a frailty index based on data routinely collected across multiple domains in NSW hospitals. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 40 (2) ajag.12888, 184-194. doi: 10.1111/ajag.12888

Development and validation of a frailty index based on data routinely collected across multiple domains in NSW hospitals

2020

Conference Publication

THE GOAL TRIAL PROTOCOL: Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment for Frail Older People With Chronic Kidney Disease to increase attainment of patient-identified goals - A cluster randomised controlled trial

Logan, B., Viecelli, A. K., Johnson, D. W., Tong, A., Comans, T., Janda, M., Pond, C., Pascoe, E., Peel, N. M., Gray, L., Pole, J., Polkinghorne, K., Jose, M., Gordon, E. H., Scholes-Robertson, N., Bailey, J., Robison, L., Hawley, C., Varghese, J., Kiriwandeniya, C., Reidlinger, D. and Hubbard, R. E. (2020). THE GOAL TRIAL PROTOCOL: Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment for Frail Older People With Chronic Kidney Disease to increase attainment of patient-identified goals - A cluster randomised controlled trial. 55th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Nephrology (ANZSN), Online, 28 November‐2 December 2020. Richmond, VIC Australia: Wiley-Blackwell.

THE GOAL TRIAL PROTOCOL: Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment for Frail Older People With Chronic Kidney Disease to increase attainment of patient-identified goals - A cluster randomised controlled trial

2020

Journal Article

Frailty in the face of COVID-19

Hubbard, Ruth E., Maier, Andrea B., Hilmer, Sarah N., Naganathan, Vasi, Etherton-Beer, Christopher and Rockwood, Kenneth (2020). Frailty in the face of COVID-19. Age and Ageing, 49 (4), 499-500. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afaa095

Frailty in the face of COVID-19

2020

Journal Article

Frailty: a cost incurred by reproduction?

Gordon, E. H., Peel, N. M., Chatfield, M. D., Lang, I. A. and Hubbard, R. E. (2020). Frailty: a cost incurred by reproduction?. Scientific Reports, 10 (1) 10139, 10139. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-67009-2

Frailty: a cost incurred by reproduction?

2020

Journal Article

Medication use and cognitive impairment among residents of aged care facilities

Shafiee Hanjani, Leila, Hubbard, Ruth E., Freeman, Christopher R., Gray, Leonard C., Scott, Ian A. and Peel, Nancye M. (2020). Medication use and cognitive impairment among residents of aged care facilities. Internal Medicine Journal, 51 (4) imj.14804, 520-532. doi: 10.1111/imj.14804

Medication use and cognitive impairment among residents of aged care facilities

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:
Available for supervision

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Supervision history

Current supervision

Completed supervision

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