The SAHMRI community congratulates ROSA Associate Director, Professor Gill Caughey on her induction as a Fellow of the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE).

ISPE Fellowship is awarded to those who’ve demonstrated exceptional leadership, made significant contributions to the advancement of the society and showcased outstanding scholarship in pharmacoepidemiology.

Professor Caughey is one of six international inductees in 2024, and the only Australian.

The prestigious honour recognises her 15 years of dedication to research focusing on the analysis of medication use among older Australians, and her consistent leadership spanning a host of roles at the society.

"I've been extensively involved in society committees, focusing on drug utilisation and medication safety, especially for older populations. My work centres on understanding how populations use medicines to enhance safety and effectiveness and reduce medication-related harms,” Prof Caughey said.

"I'm passionate about improving medication safety and quality of life for older people and this acknowledgement means a lot.”

Professor Caughey joined ROSA in 2019 to help lead work for the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

In 2021 she was appointed Associate Director of ROSA, and under her co-leadership the registry has flourished into a team of more than 25 people, dedicated to creating evidence that informs clinical care and policy.

ROSA Director, Professor Maria Inacio says she’s always been able to count on her colleague.

“She was one of the few researchers I knew that could under a very tight timeline deliver the required body of work for this unprecedented federal investigation for the aged care sector. The results of her leadership in this project are influential to this day, informing how quality and safety monitoring is done in aged care nationally,” Prof Inacio said.

“Her work in pharmacoepidemiology and its intersection with ageing and the aged care sector is exceptional, high impact, and well regarded and this is a timely recognition that’s well deserved.”

“She’s also one of the most committed researchers I know when it comes to training students and early career researchers. Her mentorship has accelerated the development of many others.”

The society will formally induct Professor Caughey as a Fellow during the 2024 ISPE Annual Meeting of Members & Award Ceremony in Berlin on August 27.