Professor Roy Soiza

Biography

I am a Consultant Geriatrician in NHS Grampian and Honorary Chair within the Ageing Clinical and Experimental Research (ACER) Group within the University of Aberdeen. I am the Editor-in-Chief of Age & Ageing, one of the world's leading geriatric medicine journals.

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 have been a Consultant Geriatrician with NHS Grampian since 2008, except 2018-2023 when I worked within General Medicine at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. 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. I was promoted to Honorary Chair in February 2024, having previously held the roles of Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer and Honorary Reader. 

External Memberships

• Consultant Physician, NHS Grampian
• Editor in Chief, Age & Ageing 2024- (previously Senior Editor 2022-4, Associate Editor 2020-2)
• 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
• External Examiner, MSc (Hons) and PhD at various universities internationally

Previous Roles

• Associate Editor, Therapeutic Advances in Drug Safety 2010-2025, Geriatric Pharmacology 2023-2025 

• Chair, Data Monitoring Committee, CONFORM-OH trial

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

• NRS Career Research Fellow 2012-5

• HIS Growing Older in Scotland Report, Reference Group Member

• 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

• 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. I run clinical trials in a number of areas but specialise in conditions of old age, and trials that need to recruit large number of older people. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been leading my organisation's work on vaccine trials. I have also researched polypharmacy, anticholinergic burden, hyponatraemia, whole body vibration exercise, vascular ageing and cognitive ageing. I have wide experience in epidemiological and physiological studies, as well as systematic reviews and evidence synthesis.

Current Research

I am currently leading the Widening Access to Trials in Care Homes (WATCH) project, funded by the Vaccine Innovation Fund. This project will produce best practice guidance in recruiting care home residents into trials of vaccines. This matters because they are an under-represented group in trials, despite being among the worst affected by conditions for which vaccines are being developed, such as respiratory viruses. I am the Principal Investigator of a several clinical studies including Nova-301, Embrace and RSVoice.  

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