Academic expertise
The School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences is proud to count many internationally-recognised educators and researchers among its academic staff. All of the core academic team have extensive expertise in their respective fields, which range from the study of specific diseases and treatments to diet and nutrition, pharmacy practice, education, health care policy, and medicines development and commercialisation.
This page includes information on the academic expertise of some of our key staff members, including the school executive, program directors and Sansom Institute research sector leaders.
School executive
Associate Professor Bernie Hughes
Bernie Hughes [BSc (Hons), PhD] is the Acting Head of the School of Pharmacy
& Medical Sciences, with particular responsibility for the teaching and learning
portfolio.
Bernie Hughes joined the University of South Australia as a lecturer in
biochemistry in 1991. His teaching interests include biochemistry, biological
sciences and physiology. His main research contributions have been in the area
of regulation of metabolism, cell signaling and ion channels. Bernie has made
major leadership contributions to the development of research and research
education within UniSA, serving two terms as Dean of Research for the Division
of Health Sciences during a time of substantial growth in research in both the
Division and University.
more information
Program directors
Ms Libby Hotham
Libby
Hotham [BPharm, M.App.Sc. (Pharm)] is currently the Program Director for the
Bachelor of Pharmacy.
Libby teaches in every year of the program and has a special focus on substance use.
Her research interests include substance use by pregnant women (currently
aligned with the World Health Organisation (WHO) Centre at the University of
Adelaide), harm minimization initiatives and complementary medicine
provision within the community pharmacy sector, and the use of
psychostimulants in children and adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD).
more information
Associate Professor Tony Woods
Tony Woods [BA, BSc (Hons), PhD] is the Program Director for Laboratory
Medicine
While primarily a histologist, his research focuses mainly on blood vessels and cancer and he is currently actively investigating the actions of snake venom compounds on these tissues.
He is President-Elect for the Australian Institute of Medical Scientists,
co-editor of the Australian Journal of Medical Science and a member of
several other editorial boards. He has extensive experience in University
governance in both Research and Teaching and Learning. He also holds a
Bachelor of Arts with majors in philosophy and psychology.
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Dr Karma Pearce
BApp.Sc, BAdultEdu, PhD Program Director for Nutrition and Food Science
Karma teaches Food Composition and Functions, Analysis of Foods
(incorporating Food Product Development), Nutrition and Therapeutics,
Functional Foods and Medicines and Communication in Biosciences.
Karma's research interests include the Scholarship of teaching and learning,
Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Cognition.
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Dr Maurizio Costabile
Maurizio Costabile [BSc (Hons), PhD] is Program Director of the Bachelor
of Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and coordinates the Laboratory
Medicine Honours program.
Dr Costabile is a Senior Lecturer and teaches in all programs of the school and in all year levels. His research interests relate to primary immunodeficiency diseases. In particular he is interested in developing new approaches in facilitating diagnosis of disease. He also has an interest in all primary immune deficiencies, with a current interest in common variable immunodeficiency disease.
Recently he has begun a new research focus, studying the ability of
polyunsaturated fatty acids to regulate cancer induced immune suppression.
This work builds from his PhD where he focussed on the immunological actions
of polyunsaturated fatty acids. At present, he is the principal supervisor
of one UniSA PhD and one Honours student. He has both local, national and
international research collaborators.
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Dr Andrew Davey
Andrew Davey [BPharm, PGCertTertT, PhD] is the Program Director of the Bachelor
of Pharmaceutical Science in the School of Pharmacy & Medical Sciences. As a
member of the Sansom Institute he has research interests across the breadth of
the pharmaceutical sciences.
Current projects, along with local and international collaborators, include the investigation of new drug delivery systems, factors affecting drug transport processes and drug metabolism, development of new agents for the treatment of diabetes and heart disease, pre-clinical pharmacokinetic studies, and pharmacokinetics in the foetus. He also has an ongoing interest in education research.
In addition to his teaching and research roles, Andrew acts as a
pre-clinical consultant for commercial work undertaken by the Centre for
Pharmaceutical Research and sits on the Executive Committee of the
Australasian Pharmaceutical Science Association.
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Stefan Kowalski
Stefan Kowalski [BPharm, M.App.Sc.(Pharm), CGP] is currently the
Program Director for the post graduate Clinical Pharmacy programs and is also
involved in teaching in the Bachelor of Pharmacy program.
He has extensive clinical pharmacy experience and has worked in hospitals in
Adelaide, Canberra and Perth. His professional and research interests focus on
clinical pharmacy education/ practice and geriatric pharmacotherapy.
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Associate Professor Robert Milne
Robert Milne [BPharm, MSc, PhD] is an Associate Professor of
Pharmaceutical Science and is the Research Degrees Coordinator. Robert manages
the research administration for the School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences and
the Sansom Institute Research Training Group, coordinates student and
scholarships applications, student progress reviews, and thesis submission.
His research focuses on the fate of drugs and their metabolites in
humans, animals and isolated perfused organs. Current drugs of interest
include opiates, polymyxin antibiotics and perhexiline. He is a consultant
to industry and government on the quality of drug products, and has
conducted numerous clinical and pre-clinical studies for the pharmaceutical
and biotechnology industry. He is active in the Australasian Pharmaceutical
Science Association, being on the executive until 2005 and organising its
annual conferences.
more information
Associate Professor Sandra Orgeig
Assoc.
Prof. Sandra Orgeig [BSc (Hons), PhD] is Program Director of the Bachelor of
Medical Science.
Sandra teaches in Biology and Physiology courses across all programs within
the School of Pharmacy & Medical Sciences.
Sandra is a respiratory physiologist with a particular interest in
understanding the biology of the pulmonary surfactant system. Using a
variety of approaches and technologies her research seeks to understand the
evolutionary constraints and pressures that shaped the surfactant system,
the functional and structural adaptations of the system under different
physiological conditions and the impact of environmental perturbations (e.g.
hypoxia, nutrient restriction) on the development and maturation of the
surfactant system from an evolutionary and biomedical perspective.
She collaborates widely with national and international researchers and is
actively involved in research management, policy, promotion and performance
through involvement in a range of School, Division and University research
and promotion committees.
more information
Sansom Institute research
sector leaders
Key Research Contacts
Autism Research Group
Dr Manya Angley
Phone: 8302 1227
A multidisciplinary team of researchers involved in a range of activities
aiming to better understand autism and help develop more effective
diagnostic techniques and treatments.
Includes members from a variety of disciplines, including clinical
psychology, chemistry, molecular biology, pharmacy, occupational therapy,
statistics and computer science.
Bone Growth and Repair Research Group
Associate Professor Cory Xian
Phone: 8302 1944
Explores the mechanisms and regulation of children's bone growth, bone
growth defects, growth plate and bone injury and repair. The unit's research
is aimed at developing biological treatments that impact on children's bone
growth, bone mass accumulation, and adult bone health.
Using in vivo, ex vivo and in vitro models and a wide range of histological,
cellular and molecular techniques, the unit's research activities can be
classified into three areas: the mechanisms of bone growth, bone mass
accumulation, and nutritional regulation; growth plate injury responses,
repair mechanisms, and growth factor and/or stem cell-based regeneration;
and pathophysiology for and prevention of cancer chemotherapy-induced bone
growth defects.
Cell Biology of Diseases Research Group
Senior Research Fellow Professor Doug Brooks
Phone: 8302 1229
Centred on medical research relating to the endocytic network (endosomes and
lysosomes) and its critical role in cell function. Endosomes and lysosomes
are directly involved in a group of genetic diseases called lysosomal
storage disorders, as well a range of other disease states including heart
disease, cancer, bone disease and bacterial infection.
Centre for Drug Formulation and Delivery
Senior Research Fellow Frank Peddie
Phone: 8302 2837
An educational, research and pharmaceutical production facility, the CDFD
aims to harness South Australia's pharmaceutical science expertise to become
a world leader in the development of novel drug delivery technologies.
The Centre boasts a new purpose-built laboratory with pilot-scale
pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment that provides UniSA researchers and
Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science students access to state-of-the-art
facilities to match industry standards.
With support from government and the pharmaceutical and biotechnology
sectors, the CDFD is involved in collaborative projects, developing new
products technologies with the ultimate aim of improving human health.
Centre for Molecular and Materials Sciences
Associate Professor Phillip Pendleton
Phone: 8302 2188
Investigating fundamental molecular processes occurring at gas-solid and
liquid-solid interfaces to help develop solutions to a wide range of
industrial, health and environmental challenges.
CMMS activities can be categorised into four broad fields: gas-material
interfaces, solution-material interfaces, nano-bio-technology, and process
and instrumentation analysis. From control-release drugs to
naturally-sourced food additives, to chemical purification processes that
reduce industrial pollution, the range of applications for research
conducted by the CMMS is remarkably broad.
Early Origins of Adult Health
Professor Caroline McMillen and
Dr Janna Morrison
Phone: 8302 2166
An international leader in pregnancy and fetal-development research, UniSA's
Early Origins of Adult Health Research Group (EOAHRG) is involved in a
variety of important projects looking at how events before birth have an
impact on health later in life.
The group uses a range of models and analytical techniques to investigate
how the physiological environment before conception and during pregnancy can
contribute to a range of conditions in adulthood such as obesity, diabetes,
and cardiovascular disease.
The group's research can be classified into three broad areas: obesity and
metabolic research, periconceptional and early embryo development, and
oxygen sensing and cardiovascular development before birth.
Experimental Therapeutics laboratory
Dr John Hayball and
Associate Professor Michael Brown
(Senior Medical
Oncologist, RAH)
Phone: 8302 1202
The Experimental Therapeutics Laboratory generates research aimed at
developing new therapeutics to prevent and treat diseases such as cancer,
infection and autoimmunity.
With major projects in areas including vaccine design, reproductive
immunology and tumour immunotherapy, and industry experience and clinical
expertise ensure that the research generated has a strong likelihood of
resulting in real therapeutic outcomes, with a direct and established path
toward the clinical translation of results.
Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Research Group
Professor Mary Barton
Phone: 8302 2933
With research aimed at addressing a variety of biological challenges
affecting human and animal health, this group investigates the
microbiological factors affecting a range of vital health issues including
antibiotic resistance, food-borne disease, water quality, and Rhodococcus
equi.
Mosquito and Plant Research Group
Dr Michael Kokkinn
Phone: 8302 2641
As South Australia's only provider of mosquito-borne disease consulting
services, this Group aims to improve the health of people and places by
applying specialist knowledge of mosquitoes and other insects to various
ecological contexts.
The group works closely with government, industry, and interstate university
laboratories to provide expert advice on important issues to managing
mosquitoes and the diseases they spread. Its research focus extends from the
local to the global, from predicting and preventing Ross River Virus in
South Australia, to studying the nature of tropical diseases such as Dengue
Fever. As well as its work into mosquitoes and disease, the group is also
involved in a variety of other biology research.
Quality use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre
Professor Andy Gilbert
Phone: 8302 2373
Focusing on the development, implementation and evaluation of national
medicines policies and programs through research, consultancy and training
in community, hospital, institutional, professional, public and private
settings.
Venoms Research Group
Dr Michael Venning
Phone: 8302 2639
Examining the venoms of Australian snakes and spiders, pinpointing their
components, functions and effects to identify new compounds useful in
medicine, diagnostics and industry.
Venoms have long been recognised as fertile ground for research, with a
number of venom-inspired drugs and diagnostic treatments already developed
overseas, and enormous potential existing in the study of Australia's
poisonous creatures.