MB ChB MRCP(UK)
Honorary Chair
- About
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- Email Address
- r.l.soiza@abdn.ac.uk
- Office Address
c/o Ageing Clinical & Experimental Research, University of Aberdeen, Room 1:128, Polwarth Building, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD United Kingdom
- School/Department
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition
Biography
I graduated from Edinburgh University in 2000 and became a Member of the Royal College of Physicians in 2003. Later that year, I joined the North of Scotland training programme as a Specialist Registrar in Geriatric Medicine and General Internal Medicine. In 2006, I joined the University of Aberdeen as Clinical Lecturer in Elderly Medicine.
I was a Consultant Geriatrician with NHS Grampian from 2008 to 2018, before joining the General Medicine Department at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, returning to Geriatric Medicine in 2023. I have held numerous roles in postgraduate medical training, including Training Programme Director for Core Medical Training and Geriatric Medicine and serving as Associate Postgraduate Dean from 2015-2017.
I was awarded an NRS Career Researcher Fellowship in 2012. Having previous held roles of Honorary Senior Lecturer and Honorary Reader, I was awarded an Honorary Chair in February 2024. I am the Editor-in-Chief of Age & Ageing.
External Memberships
- Consultant Physician, NHS Grampian
- Editor in Chief, Age & Ageing 2024- (previously Senior Editor 2022-4, Associate Editor 2020-2)
- Associate Editor, Therapeutic Advances in Drug Safety 2010-, Geriatric Pharmacology 2023-, SAGE Open Medicine 2012-,
- Editorial Board Member, American Journal of Cardiovascular Disease 2011-, BMC Health Services Research 2014-
- Growing Older in Scotland Report, Reference Group Member
- Reviewer, for numerous international medical journals and grant-awarding bodies including MRC, CSO, NIHR, Research Council of Norway, South African Medical Research Council and Italian Ministry of Education, Universities & Research
Other Recent Roles
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Associate Postgraduate Dean (Medicine), NES, 1st Feb 2015 – 31st Aug 2017
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NRS Career Research Fellow 2012-5
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Treasurer, Scottish Society of Physicians, 2014-8
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Executive Committee Member, Scottish Society of Physicians, 2012-8
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Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network (SIGN), Delirium Guideline Development Group Member 2016-9, Dementia Guideline Group Member 2020-
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Chair, Organising Committee, RCPE Geriatric Medicine Symposium 2019
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Faculty Member, Faculty Development Alliance (formerly SCOTS Supervisor Training Courses), 2010-7
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Electives Adviser, University of Aberdeen Medical School, 2010-8
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Training Programme Director, North of Scotland Deanery
Core Medical Training 2010-3
Geriatric Medicine 2011-5
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Educational Supervisor, Foundation Programme, GP and Specialty Registrars, 2008-
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Chair, Medical Specialties Training Committee, North of Scotland Deanery 2013-2015
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Member, RCP/BGS Geriatric Medicine Specialty Certificate Exam (SCE) Question Writing Group, 2009-14
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Advisory Board Member, Otsuka Pharmaceuticals (UK), 2010-12
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External Examiner, MSc (Hons) research theses, Dundee University and Flinders University 2012-6
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Clinical Supervisor, Physician Associate course, University of Aberdeen 2013-5
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‘Hospital to Home’ National Project Advisory Group Member, Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS), 2013-6
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Expert panellist, for a number of Delphi expert panels, e.g. for the FORTA, OPERAM and PERFECTED clinical trials
- Research
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Research Overview
I am interested in all aspects of health and disease in old age. My chief interests are hyponatraemia in older people and clinical pharmacology in old age. More recently, I have been working on COVID-19 therapy trials, and leading on vaccine trials. I have also researched polypharmacy, whole body vibration exercise, vascular ageing and cognitive ageing. I run clinical trials in older people but have wide experience in epidemiological and mechanistic studies, as well as systematic reviews.
Current Research
I am the Aberdeen Principal Investigator for the NOVAVAX, MODERNA P-305 (omicron), Medicago, BiCARB, K-SWAY, LACE, RAINDROP and SENATOR randomised controlled trials.
I have an ongoing interest in hyponatraemia, most recently investigating the causes of hyponatraemia after head injury.
I also led Wave 4 of the Aberdeen 1936 Birth Cohort (ABC36) Study, a longitudinal cohort study of cognitive ageing.
Supervision
I have supervised numerous undergraduate and postgraduate students from medical elective students to PhD candidates.
Funding and Grants
Current Grants
- 'Widening Access to Trials in Care Homes (WATCH)' RL Soiza, Vaccine Innovation Fund 24/005, £299,792
- ‘An evidence synthesis suite to inform a a future randomised trial of reducing anticholinergic related harm in older adults’, PK Myint, RL Soiza et al (6 co-investigators), Dunhill Medical Trust Ref No RPGF180666, £99,165
- ‘Oral iron, intravenous iron or discontinuation of therapy for older adults with treatment unresponsive iron deficiency anaemia- a pilot randomised controlled trial’, PK Myint, RL Soiza et al (7 co-investigators), CSO Grant Ref No HIPS/17/15, £283,555
- ‘Development and clinical trials of a new Software ENgine for the Assessment & optimization of drug and non-drug Therapy in Older persons (SENATOR)’, EU FP7 Project Grant, D O’Mahony, RL Soiza et al (12 co-investigators), €5,938,947
- ‘Does oral sodium bicarbonate therapy improve function and quality of life in older patients with chronic kidney disease and low-grade acidosis? A multicentre randomized placebo controlled trial’ NIHR HTA Grant 10/71, MD Witham, RL Soiza et al (10 co-investigators), £1,471,735
- ‘Vitamin K supplementation to reduce falls in older people – a multicentre trial’ CSO Grant CZH/4/1100, MD Witham, M McMurdo, P Donnan, P Mc Namee, RL Soiza, V Cvoro, £213,493
- ‘Assessment of association between slow muscle fibres of calf and postural integrity between elderly fallers and non fallers using MRI techniques – a proof of concept study’ NHS Grampian Endowment Fund Research Grant 14/19, PK Myint, SR Gray, J He, RL Soiza,£11,936
- Vascular ageing and hyponatraemia, NRS Career Researcher Fellowship, £123,010
- ‘Association of White Matter Lesions with Endothelial Dysfunction and Postural Blood Pressure Instability (ENDOW Study)’ NHS Grampian Endowment Fund Research Grant, £16,000, GE Hoyle, RL Soiza, DJP Williams, DG Seymour, AD Murray
- ‘Aberdeen 1936 Birth Cohort Study: Wave 4’ Development Trust Alzheimer’s Research Fund, £41,382, AD Murray, RL Soiza, LJ Whalley
- 'Association of Postural Blood Pressure Instability with Arterial Stiffness and Endothelial Dysfunction' NHSG Endowments No. 08/26 £8,667, RL Soiza, S Saha, GE Hoyle, DJP Williams
- ‘The role of serum urate in cognitive decline’ Tenovus Scotland Project Grant G09/20 £9,456, RL Soiza, AD Murray, L Phillips, RT Staff
- ‘The association between plasma nitrite levels and degree of endothelial function measured by pulse wave analysis’ 50% NHSG Endowments No. 09/19 & 50% British Geriatrics Society SpR Start-up Grant - £13,704, RL Soiza, S Saha, DJP Williams, IJ Megson
- ‘Arginine Methylation: the missing link between vascular risk and Alzheimer’s disease severity’. NHS Grampian Endowments Research Grant 11/08, £9,084 AA Mangoni, RL Soiza, D Mowat
- ‘Can asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) predict cognitive decline?’ NHS Grampian Endowments Research Grant No 11/07, £11,789, AA Mangoni, F Thies, RL Soiza, RT Staff
- Publications
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Page 6 of 7 Results 126 to 150 of 163
Drug Burden Index, Physical Function, and Adverse Outcomes in Older Hospitalized Patients
British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, vol. 52, no. 10, pp. 1584-1591Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0091270011421489
Evidence of net benefit of proton pump inhibitors with clopidogrel is lacking in older patients
British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Ed.), vol. 345, pp. e5849Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e5849
Inappropriate Prescribing of Proton Pump Inhibitors in Older Patients: Effects of an Educational Strategy
Drugs & Aging, vol. 29, no. 8, pp. 681-690Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.2165/11632700-000000000-00000
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Anticholinergic drugs and functional outcomes in older patients undergoing orthopaedic rehabilitation
The American journal of geriatric pharmacotherapy, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 251-7Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjopharm.2012.06.003
The effect of hearing augmentation on cognitive assessment scales at admission to hospital
The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 355-361Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/JGP.0b013e3182107e88
Non-psychiatric comorbidity associated with Alzheimer's disease
QJM, vol. 104, no. 11, pp. 913-920Contributions to Journals: Review articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/hcr118
Age, co-morbidity and poor mobility: no evidence of predicting in-patient death and acute hospital length of stay in the oldest old
QJM, vol. 104, no. 8, pp. 671-679Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/hcr028
Syndrome of appropriate antidiuretic hormone: difficulties with diagnosing syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone in older people
European Journal of Internal Medicine, vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 295; author reply 296Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1445-5994.2010.02388.x
Management of hyponatraemia in older people: old threats and new opportunities
Therapeutic Advances in Drug Safety, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 9-17Contributions to Journals: Review articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2042098610394233
Volaemic assessment of the elderly hyponatraemic patient: reliability of clinical assessment and validation of bioelectrical impedance analysis
QJM, vol. 104, no. 1, pp. 35-39Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/hcq157
EXercising with Computers in Later Life (EXCELL): pilot and feasibility study of the acceptability of the Nintendo WiiFit in community-dwelling fallers
BMC Research Notes, vol. 3, 238Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-0500-3-238
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/3853/1/Exercising.pdf
Association between prescribing of antimuscarinic drugs and antimuscarinic adverse effects in older people
Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 441-52Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1586/ecp.10.34
Creatinine and eGFR are similarly predictive of outcome of acute coronary syndrome
International Journal of Cardiology, vol. 141, no. 1, pp. 118-20Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcard.2008.11.082
Hormonal responses to a single session of wholebody vibration exercise in older individuals
British Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 44, no. 4, pp. 284-8Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.2007.043232
Optimising whole body vibration training for use in older people
Age and Ageing, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 141Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afp217
Attitudes of First Year Medical Students in Singapore Towards Older People and Willingness to Consider a Career in Geriatric Medicine
Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore, vol. 38, no. 5, pp. 465-1Contributions to Journals: LettersGenetic determinants of ageing processes and diseases in later life
Maturitas, vol. 62, no. 3, pp. 225-229Contributions to Journals: Review articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2008.12.012
Attitudes of first-year medical students in Singapore towards older people and willingness to consider a career in geriatric medicine
Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore, vol. 37, no. 11, pp. 947-951Contributions to Journals: ArticlesNeuroimaging studies of delirium: a systematic review
Journal of Psychosomatic Research, vol. 65, no. 3, pp. 239-48Contributions to Journals: Review articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2008.05.021
White matter lesions and endothelial dysfunction measured by pulse wave analysis
Geriatrics and Gerontology International, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 209-211Contributions to Journals: Letters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1447-0594.2008.00472.x
Spontaneous splenic rupture mimicking pneumonia: a case report
Cases Journal, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 35Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1757-1626-1-35
Equivalence of inhaled and nebulized salbutamol in the assessment of endothelial dysfunction
British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, vol. 65, no. 6, pp. 1005-1005Contributions to Journals: ArticlesElectrolyte and salt disturbances in older people: Causes, management and implications
Reviews in Clinical Gerontology, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 143-158Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959259809002822
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Postgraduate performance: Study was flawed
British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Ed.), vol. 336, no. 7642, pp. 462Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39500.418542.1F
Medical student attitudes toward older people and willingness to consider a career in geriatric medicine
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, vol. 56, no. 2, pp. 334-338Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01552.x