Prof Ian Whyte (MBBS(Hons), FRACP FRCP(Edin), FACMT, FAACT, FEAPCCT) Senior Staff Specialist
Overview
Professor Ian Whyte has been conducting research in clinical toxicology at Calvary Mater Newcastle since 1991 and the Hunter New England Local Health District since 1985. His main areas of research are on the effects of drugs in overdose and suicide prevention. His current areas of research interest include drugs used to treat mental illness, serotonin toxicity, deliberate self-poisoning, suicide prevention and the application of an evidenced-based approach to Clinical Toxicology. He has over 170 publications in peer reviewed journals and numerous book chapters, reviews, editorials, letters and abstracts.
Professor Whyte has a long-term interest in database development for research in clinical toxicology. He developed and programmed the Hunter Area Toxicology Service (HATS) clinical database, which is internationally recognised as unique in its design and content. There is detailed information on over 30,000 presentations with poisoning that have been managed by the HATS clinical service since 1987. The success of this database as a resource for research led to the development of a national clinical database in the United States (the ToxIC Registry) which has been recognised by the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as a Qualified Clinical Data Registry.
Department
Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology
Research Areas
Drug overdose, suicide prevention
Publications / Achievements
After showing that a postcard sent to patients discharged after an attempt at self-harm led to a significant reduction in the number of subsequent presentations with self-harm by those patients, Professor Whyte is working with a team in Sydney to examine the effect of an SMS with a similar message on re-presentations with self-harm.
More information about Prof Ian Whyte’s academic achievements and publications can be found here: