Rate My Professor Susan Hua

Professor Susan Hua (BPharm, Hons, PhD, MPS) is an academic pharmacist and registered pharmacist in Australia with experience in hospital, community, and research pharmacy. She holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy with Honours and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Queensland in neuroscience and nanotechnology. Since 2010, she has served as a full-time teaching and research academic in the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy at the University of Newcastle, where she established the first translational nanopharmaceutics laboratory and research program in the Hunter region. As Head of the Therapeutic Targeting and Translational Nanopharmaceutics Research Program, her work focuses on therapeutic targeting using novel drug delivery platforms and nanotechnology to overcome biological barriers. Research interests include gastrointestinal drug delivery, dermal and transdermal delivery, parenteral drug delivery for gastrointestinal diseases, musculoskeletal pathologies, infectious diseases, reproductive pathologies, inflammation, and pain. Her expertise covers advanced pharmaceutical formulation, in vitro cellular studies, and preclinical in vivo animal studies. Fields of research are clinical pharmacology and therapeutics (50%) and pharmaceutical sciences (50%).

Professor Hua is Director of the Translational Pharmaceutics & Medical Technologies Theme for the Precision Medicine Research Program at the Hunter Medical Research Institute and Director of the Australian NanoPain Network (Newcastle Node). She coordinates the Bachelor of Pharmacy Honours Program, serves as Pharmacy Advisor on the Institutional Biosafety Committee, and is a member of the Research Advisory Committee of the National Foundation of Medical Research and Innovation and the University of Newcastle Academy of Reviewers. She has secured over $6.1 million in competitive grants including from NHMRC and ARC, and generated patents such as APP1050584 and APP1113847. Key publications include 'Advances and Challenges in Nanomedicine' (2019), 'Physiological and Pharmaceutical Considerations for Rectal Drug Formulations' (2019), 'Impact of gastric and bowel surgery on gastrointestinal drug delivery' (2023), 'Lipid-based nano-delivery systems for skin delivery of drugs and bioactives' (2015), and 'Advances in nanoparticulate drug delivery approaches for sublingual and buccal administration' (2019). With more than 9200 citations and an h-index of 33, she ranks among the World's Top 2% Scientists (Stanford University & Elsevier, 2020-2025). Major awards include 2017 NSW Premier's Prize for Early Career Researcher of the Year, 2020 DVC(A) Educator Innovation and Impact Award, 2016 NSW Young Tall Poppy Science Award, and 2015 HMRI Early Career Researcher of the Year. She delivered invited Henry Stewart Talks on drug delivery in 2020 and 2021.