Professor Richard Ruffin, AM, MD, FRACP

Also check this link to the University Staff Directory as it may contain a more updated profile of this staff member including expertise and contact details.

Staff
Dr David Wilson, Project Officer
Dr Peter Zalewski , Research Fellow
Ms Sarah Appleton, Research Officer
North West Adelaide Health Study (NWAHS)
Mrs Sandy Pickering, Clinic Co-ordinator 
Ms Janet  Evans,  Admin Assistant
Ms Tina Stavropoulos,  Project Officer
Ms Marnie Gallio, Project Officer
Ms Megan Taylor, Project Officer
Ms Kylie Holden, Project Officer 

Higher Degree students
Ms Lata Jayaram - PhD
Dr James Martin - PhD
Dr Dion Grosser - PhD
Dr John Moran - PhD
Ms Sarah Appleton - PhD (part time)

Current Funded Research
2004-05      Systematic practice-based asthma care in the Australian setting 
  NH&MRC  ID  299024 
  CI  Justin Beilby (with Richard Ruffin, Mark Harris & Brita Perkarsky)
  2004  $320,500
  2005  $236,250

2004 The development of an algorithm for the diagnosis of asthma in the older person. 
  $162,186.75 
  Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing - ARC discovery project grant  ID DP0452805. 
  TQEH Research Foundation on behalf of The Health Observatory TQEH
  University of Adelaide Dept of Medicine - Richard Ruffin,  David Wilson & Bob Adams
  University of Adelaide Dept of General Practice - Justin Beilby
  University of South Australia   -  Julianne Cheek

2004-05   South Australian Department of Human Services. 
  Ruffin R, Taylor A, Phillips P, Wilson D, Hugo G, Adams A, Wittert G.   The  North West Adelaide Health  (cohort) Study 
  $289,710

2004-05 Australian Research Council  Discovery Project Grant ID: DP0452805.  Cheek J, Wilson D,  Price K , Adams R, Ruffin R.  Enhancing the management of people living with chronic conditions:  understanding the social space that is “the consultation” 
  2004  - $68,000
  2005 - $68,000
  2006 - $60,000

NHMRC Project Grant  # 299005  2004-6  $73,500 pa “Role of zinc in the respiratory epithelium and asthma  Zalewski PD (time commitment: 40%), Ruffin RER, Knight D

NHMRC Equipment Grant
2006 ($41,500)  Novel markers for zinc transport in airway inflammation and transplanted pancreatic islets, and for susceptibility genes in strokePD Zalewski, S Koblar, P Coates, J Jannes, R Ruffin, C Lang

2004-07 Australian Research Council   Linkage Grant  ID:  LP0455737
  Hugo G,  RuffinR,  Wittert G,  Taylor A, Adams R.  Obesity, Health, Social Disadvantage and Environment in Australia : Relationships and Policy Implications
  2004   $148,065
  2005   $299,696
  2006   $307,133
  2007   $155,502

Most recent publications

         Ruffin R.  Asthma deaths – are we doing enough? Prim Care Respir J. 2005; 14:276-8.
         Adams RJ, Ruffin RE.  Asthma can occur in the older person.   Medicine Today 2005; 6(1):40-46
         Ruffin RE, Wilson DH, Appleton SL, Adams RJ.  An algorithmic approach to diagnosing asthma in older patients in general practice.  MJA 2005;  183:S38-S40
          Wilson DH, Appleton SL, Adams RJ, Ruffin RE.  Undiagnosed asthma in older people:  an underestimated problem.  MJA  2005; 183: S20-S22.
         Adams RJ, Appleton S, Wilson DH, Ruffin RE.  Participatory decision making, asthma action plans, and use of asthma medication:  A population survey.   Journal of Asthma  2005;  42:673-678.
         Appleton SL, Adams RJ, Wilson DH, Taylor AW, Ruffin RE.  Spirometric criteria for asthma:  Adding further evidence to the debate.  J Allergy Clin Immunol 2005; 116:976-82
         Wilson D, Adams R, Appleton S, Ruffin R.   Difficulties identifying and targeting COPD and population-attributable risk of smoking for COPD: a population study.  Chest 2005; 128:2035-2042.
          Adams RJ, Appleton S, Wilson DH, Taylor AW, Dal Grande E, Chittleborough C, Gill T, Ruffin R.  Population comparison of two clinical approaches to the metabolic syndrome.  Diabetes Care 2005; 28:2777-2779
         Adams R, Rosier M, Campbell D, Ruffin R.  Assessment of an asthma quality of life scale using item-response theory.   Respirology. 2005; 10(5):587-93.
         Zalewski PD, Truong-Tran AQ, Grosser D, Jayaram L, Murgia C and Ruffin RE.  Zinc metabolism in airway epithelium and airway inflammation:  Basic mechanisms and clinical targets.  Pharmacol Ther 2005;   105:127-49.
         Beilby J, Holton C, Harris M, Proudfoot J, Harper C, Ramsay E, Ruffin R.   ABS13:  Systematic practice-based asthma car in the Australian setting.  Prim Care Respir J.  2006; May 20 [Epub ahead of print]
        Adams R J, Wilson DH, Taylor AW, Daly A, d’Espaignet ET, Dal Grande E, and Ruffin RE. Coexistent Chronic Conditions and Asthma Quality of Life: A Population-Based Study. Chest 2006; 129: 285-291
           Murgia C, Lang C, Truong-Tran AQ, Grosser D, Jayaram L, Ruffin RE, Perozzi G, Zalewski PD.  Zinc and its specific transporters as potential targets in airway disease.  Current Drug Targets  2006;  7:607-627
         Zalewski PD, Truong-Tran AQ, Lincoln S, Ward D, Shankar A, Coyle P, Jayaram L, Copley A, Grosser D, Murgia C, Lang C, Ruffin RE.  Use of a zinc fluorophores to measure labile pools of zinc in body fluids and cell-conditioned media.  Biotechniques 2006; 40:509-520.
         Taylor A,  Dal Grande E, Gill T, Chittleborough C, Wilson D, Adams R,  Grant J, Phillips P, Appleton S, Ruffin R.  How valid are self-reported height and weight?  A comparison between CATI self-reported and clinic measurements using a large cohort study.  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health  2006; 30:238-46
         Nitschke M, Pilotto L, Attewell RG, Smith BJ, Pisaniello D, Martin J, Ruffin RE, Hiller J. A cohort study of indoor nitrogen dioxide and house dust mite exposure in asthmatic children.  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.  2006; 48:462-469.
         Taylor AW, Dal Grande E, Gill TK, Chittleborough CR, WilsonDH, Adams RJ, Grant  JF, Phillips P and Ruffin RE .  Do people with risky behaviours participate in biomedical cohort studies?  BMC Public Health 2006;  6:11.

Grant JF, Chittleborough CR, Taylor AW, Dal Grande E, Wilson DH, Phillips PJ, Adams RJ, Cheek J. Price K, Gill TK, Ruffin RE.  The North West Adelaide Health Study:  detailed methods and baseline segmentation of a cohort for selected chronic diseases.   Epidemiologic Perspectives & Innovations 2006;  3:4
         Wilson DH, Adams RJ, Tucker G, Appleton S, Taylor AW, Ruffin RE. Trends in asthma prevalence and population changes in South Australia 1990-2003. Med J Aust 2006; 184:226-9
         Appleton SL, Adams RJ, Wilson DH, Taylor AW, Ruffin RE; North West Adelaide Cohort Health Study Team. Central obesity is associated with nonatopic but not atopic asthma in a representative population sample. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2006; 118:1284-91
     Wilson D, Tucker G, Appleton S, Ruffin R, Adams RJ.  Trends in Hospital admissions and mortality from asthma and COPD in Australia: 1993-2004.  Med J Aust 2007 (In Press).
         Marks GB, Abramson MJ, Jenkins CR, Kenny P, Mellis CM, Ruffin RE, Stosic R, Toelle BG, Wilson DH, Xuan W.  Asthma management and outcomes in Australia:  a nation-wide telephone interview survey.  Respirology 2007; 12:212-9
         Lang CJ, Murgia C, Leong M, Tan LW, Perozzi G, Knight D, Ruffin RE, Zalewski PD.  Anti-inflammatory effects of zinc and alterations in zinc transporter mRNA in mouse models of allergic inflammation. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2007;  292:L577-L584
         Ruffin R, Crotty B. Landau L, McGrath B.  11th National Prevocational forum – National Leadership.   Med J Aust 2007 (In Press).