Professor Roy Soiza

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

• Associate Postgraduate Dean (Medicine), NES, 1^st Feb 2015 – 31^st Aug 2017

• NRS Career Research Fellow 2012-5

• Treasurer, Scottish Society of Physicians, 2014-8

• Executive Committee Member, Scottish Society of Physicians, 2012-8

• Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network (SIGN), Delirium Guideline Development Group Member 2016-9, Dementia Guideline Group Member 2020-

• Chair, Organising Committee, RCPE Geriatric Medicine Symposium 2019

• Faculty Member, Faculty Development Alliance (formerly SCOTS Supervisor Training Courses), 2010-7

• Electives Adviser, University of Aberdeen Medical School, 2010-8

• Training Programme Director, North of Scotland Deanery

  Core Medical Training                        2010-3

  Geriatric Medicine                              2011-5

• Educational Supervisor, Foundation Programme, GP and Specialty Registrars, 2008-

• Chair, Medical Specialties Training Committee, North of Scotland Deanery 2013-2015

• Member, RCP/BGS Geriatric Medicine Specialty Certificate Exam (SCE) Question Writing Group, 2009-14

• Advisory Board Member, Otsuka Pharmaceuticals (UK), 2010-12

• External Examiner, MSc (Hons) research theses, Dundee University and Flinders University 2012-6

• Clinical Supervisor, Physician Associate course, University of Aberdeen 2013-5

• ‘Hospital to Home’ National Project Advisory Group Member, Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS), 2013-6

• Expert panellist, for a number of Delphi expert panels, e.g. for the FORTA, OPERAM and PERFECTED clinical trials

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.

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

   

  Recent Grants
• ‘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