Suzanne Rainsford

Suzanne Rainsford is an academic affiliated with The Australian National University (ANU), specifically within the School of Medicine and Psychology. Her research focuses on palliative medicine, end-of-life care in residential aged care, and rural end-of-life care. She holds a PhD from ANU (2018), a Master of Family Medicine from Monash University (2013), and a Bachelor of Medicine from the University of New South Wales (1987).

Her research interests emphasize frailty assessment in chronic conditions such as chronic kidney disease (CKD), clinical implications of frailty, and end-of-life practices in rural settings. Key contributions include studies on clinician misclassification of frailty in CKD patients, longitudinal frailty prediction models, and patient perspectives on rehabilitation in frailty-CKD comorbidity.

Notable projects include a 2018–2021 initiative to strengthen palliative care coordination in Cooma residential aged care. Her work spans peer-reviewed articles in journals like Internal Medicine Journal and BMJ Open, addressing interdisciplinary topics like cultural funeral practices and frailty’s role in survival outcomes.

Dr. Rainsford’s expertise bridges clinical care and research, with a focus on translating evidence into practice for vulnerable populations, particularly in rural and aged care contexts.