DE-PRESCRIBING MEDICATIONS IN OLDER ADULTS WITH DEMENTIA
Dr Daniel Hoyle
Senior Lecturer, Therapeutics and Pharmacy Practice
School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology,
University of Tasmania, Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia | January 2025
Dr. Daniel Hoyle is a Senior Lecturer in Therapeutics and Pharmacy Practice at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Tasmania. He is also an experienced clinical pharmacist with expertise in medication management in older people. Dr. Hoyle’s research interests focus on improving medicine use in older people with dementia.
He earned his PhD from the University of Tasmania in 2020, where his doctoral research examined the clinical and economic outcomes of psychotropic deprescribing within the multidisciplinary “Reducing Use of Sedatives” project implemented across 150 Australian aged care homes. This research has received several accolades, including First Place in the International Psychogeriatric Association Junior Research Awards in 2019.
Currently, Dr. Hoyle leads several projects, including research aimed at improving anticoagulant use in older individuals with dementia and atrial fibrillation using national primary care provider datasets, and the implementation of a hospital-based antipsychotic stewardship program for patients with dementia and/or delirium.
A current project is Geriatric Antipsychotic Stewardship (GApS) Program for Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia and Delirium. This program is funded by the Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation through an Incubator Grant.
Additionally, Dr. Hoyle serves as an investigator within an educational intervention aimed at improving anticholinergic prescribing in hospitals. Dr. Hoyle is a guest editor with Pharmacy MDPI and holds elected positions on the Australian Deprescribing Network Executive Committee and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s Tasmanian Branch Committee.
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2867-3736
-
Environmental exposure to function of lung epithelial stem cell biology
Dr Clare Weeden has recently commenced as a Laboratory Head at WEHI in 2025, supported by the CSL Centenary Fellowship.
Dr Weeden specialises in lung epithelial cell biology in the context of homeostasis, inflammation, and lung cancer, particularly in people who don’t smoke. Her work endeavours to understand how past environmental exposures shape the responses of lung cells and the molecular mechanisms underlying this cellular recall, with the aim to develop novel early detection strategies for lung disease.
-
CASE STUDY Next Generation Condom Contraception
Eudaemon Technologies, an early-stage medtech company with a focus on sexual reproductive health, is developing a hydrogel condom to address the need for a better feeling, next generation condom, with the potential to improve user experience and address issues with traditional latex condoms.
“Over 1 million STI’s being diagnosed every day and up to 120 million unplanned pregnancies every year result in a $60 billion health burden across the globe”, says Co-Founder and Executive Director of Operations, Dr Simon Cook.
Formed in 2018, the company focuses on developing tough hydrogels as an alternative to address issues with odour, colour, and taste commonly associated with latex condoms. This technology can be loaded with small molecule drugs for flavours or anti-STI compounds, and was developed in response to a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to address unplanned pregnancies and STIs.
-
Benefits of prehabilitation ahead of surgery
Dr Matthew Wallen PhD, AES, AEP is a Senior Research Fellow in Cancer Survivorship, the Deputy Lead of the Cancer Survivorship Program, and a Senior Lecturer in Exercise Science and Clinical Exercise Physiology within the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Flinders University, in South Australia. His clinical interest focuses on improving outcomes for people requiring major surgery, specifically (1) lifestyle interventions, including exercise, nutritional, and psychological support to improve the health and wellbeing of people prior to surgery, termed ‘prehabilitation’, (2) novel physical function assessments aimed at identifying people at risk of treatment-related complications, and (3) implementation of new models of care in cancer.
