Michael Barras

Professor Michael Barras serves as a Conjoint Professor at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Queensland and Director of Pharmacy at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, with a split appointment (Hospital 0.8 FTE / UQ 0.2 FTE) that bridges clinical leadership and academic research.

Professor Barras has established a robust research program focused on medication safety, health informatics, and advanced scope clinical pharmacy practice. His work centers on designing, testing, and monitoring individualized dosing strategies for high-risk patients in hospital settings. Over his career, he has published 157 works including 121 journal articles, 2 book chapters, and 33 conference publications, demonstrating consistent scholarly output across multiple domains of pharmacy practice.

Analysis of his recent publications (2024-2025) reveals a clear trajectory toward integrating artificial intelligence and machine learning into pharmacy practice. His research increasingly focuses on developing and validating risk prediction models (including the AIME and AIME-Frail models), evaluating AI applications in medication management, and assessing the impact of advanced-scope pharmacist roles across various healthcare settings. These publications demonstrate his leadership in translating technological innovations into practical pharmacy applications that enhance patient safety.

Professor Barras actively supervises 8 Higher Degree Research students whose projects align with his core research interests in medication safety and advanced pharmacy services. His research program is supported by significant funding including the Medical Research Future Fund project 'REducing hospital re-admission for high-risk CARDiology patients' and the Metro South Hospital and Health Service grant 'Personalised Medicine in action: Applying machine learning to develop personalised medication dosing.'

As a member of the School of Pharmacy research committee, Professor Barras maintains extensive collaborations across hospital, university, and industry settings, ensuring his research has direct clinical relevance and practical implementation pathways. His work exemplifies the integration of academic rigor with real-world healthcare challenges, particularly in optimizing medication use and preventing harm through innovative practice models.