Associate Professor Luke Grzeskowiak
CRF Fellow in Medicines Use and Safety
Practitioner Fellow at Flinders University
Associate Professor Luke Grzeskowiak is a registered pharmacist and Practitioner Fellow at Flinders University and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute. His research seeks to improve maternal and child health through the development and promotion of safer, more effective, and personalised approaches towards medicine use.
Nearly all women take some type of medication during pregnancy or lactation, but greater than 90% of medications lack adequate information on their efficacy or safety in pregnancy or lactation. This absence of adequate information to guide benefit-risk assessments makes it extremely challenging for women and health care professionals to make informed decisions regarding medication use during pregnancy and lactation. Due to this lack of knowledge, thousands of unborn children are exposed to potentially harmful medications every day, which could result in adverse outcomes such as preterm birth, birth defects, or neurodevelopmental disorders. On the other hand, lack of information could lead women to deliberately avoid otherwise safe medications for illnesses that may jeopardize maternal and infant health if left untreated.
Supported by the Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation, Luke’s research will establish a robust and systematic approach towards utilising routinely collected electronic health data (also known as big data) to reduce uncertainty about the effects of medications used during pregnancy and lactation. This research will optimize the safe and effective use of medications during pregnancy and lactation and lead to significant improvements in maternal and child health.