Wern Chai

Research Interests

Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice Drug discovery Basic Pharmacology Clinical Education Medical Microbiology Pharmacology & Pharmacy

Dr Wern Chai

Lecturer, Pharmacy and Pharmacology

School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences

College of Health

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.

Available For Media Comment.

Brian graduated with a BPharm (Hons) and a PhD in Pharmacy (Pharmacology) at the University of South Australia. He has since practised as a registered pharmacist in academia, research and community pharmacy, including niche areas such as complex compounding. He is a vaccinating pharmacist and has completed the prescribing training to prescribe antibiotics for uncomplicated urinary tract infections in South Australia.
 
Brian has a passion for academia as he would like to create a long-lasting impact among students who will benefit from the ever-increasing demand for pharmacists. To deliver this role, Brian endeavours to facilitate the translation of theoretical sciences of pharmacology into clinical practice.
 
Brian also has a strong interest in drug discovery, drug development and antimicrobial resistance. In the face of antimicrobial resistance, his research focuses on developing a new antimicrobial agent with a novel mechanism of action. Additionally, Brian contributes his expertise to various professional organisations. This includes Therapeutic Guidelines: Antibiotic, Pharmacy Board of Australia, Australian Pharmacy Council: Subject Matters Expert (Examination), and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia: Early Career Pharmacist (SA/NT). Collectively, it enables Brian to translate his research and draw upon a variety of experiences he encountered, and can bring current clinical expertise to his teaching. His continuous dedication and commitment to research and teaching earned him the recognition as a Rising Star in Pharmacy (AJP 2021), Emerging Leader in Science (APSA 2022) and UniSA Unstoppable Enhanced Learning Award (UniSA 2025).

Brian’s primary research focuses on the discovery and development of antimicrobial agents with novel mechanisms of action targeting resistant pathogens, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii. His work aims to address the growing global health challenge of antimicrobial resistance by identifying innovative therapeutic strategies that can overcome antimicrobial resistance and improve patient outcomes.

As a practising pharmacist, his research interests are informed by real-world clinical practice. He is particularly interested in research that explores and supports the expanding roles of community pharmacists, including their contributions to antimicrobial stewardship and preventative health. By integrating laboratory-based antimicrobial research with practice-based pharmacy research, Brian seeks to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and frontline healthcare delivery, directly related to contemporary pharmacy practice.

Date Position Institution name
2025 - ongoing Insight Board Member for Pharmacist-Based Vaccinations International Pharmaceutical Federation
2025 - ongoing Member South Australian Immunisation Engagement Group
2021 - ongoing Subject Matter Expert Australian Pharmacy Council
2020 - ongoing Member of the Evaluation Network: Antimicrobials Therapeutic Guidelines
2018 - ongoing Board Examiner Pharmacy Board of Australia

Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount
2025 Teaching Award UniSA Unstoppable Teaching & Learning Awards: Enhanced Learning Award University of South Australia Australia -
2022 Award Emerging Leader in Science Australasian Pharmaceutical Sciences Australia Australia -
2021 Recognition Rising Star in Pharmacy Australian Journal of Pharmacy Australia -

Date Institution name Country Title
2020 University of South Australia Australia PhD
2014 University of South Australia Australia BPharm (Hons)

Date Title Institution name Country
— Vaccination and Immunisation Pharmacy Guild of Australia Australia
— Pharmacists Prescribing for UTI Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Australia

Year Citation
2026 Tan, J. M., Chai, W. C., Ailabouni, N., Proudman, S. M., Wiese, M. D., & Reeve, E. (2026). Attitudes of healthcare professionals towards the use of parenteral methotrexate in rheumatoid arthritis patients: a qualitative study. International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, 53, 12 pages.
DOI
2026 Chiuchiolo, L. A., Chai, W., & Janetzki, J. L. (2026). Exploring Student Self-Efficacy and Agency in Traditional Versus Gamified Pharmacology Tutorials: A Cross-Sectional Survey. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 90(4), 101956-1-101956-7.
DOI
2025 Tan, J. M., Desforges, K., Chai, W. C., Proudman, S. M., Wiese, M. D., & Reeve, E. (2025). Perspectives of patients with rheumatoid arthritis towards the use of parenteral methotrexate: a qualitative study.. Int J Clin Pharm, online(2), 1-12.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC2
2025 Kalisch Ellett, L. M., Janetzki, J. L., Suppiah, V., Chai, W., Staff, K., Amato, D., . . . Ward, M. B. (2025). Quantifying the non-remunerated services provided by pharmacists in community pharmacies: a direct observational study. International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, online(3), 1-8.
DOI WoS1
2025 Janetzki, J. L., Chai, W. C., Bui, T. N. T., Sim, T. F., & Suppiah, V. (2025). Impact of medicine shortages on Australian pharmacists' professional practice and patient care: a nationwide survey. Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research, 55(2), 146-153.
DOI Scopus6 WoS6
2025 Li, P., Li, C., Nie, L., Semple, S. J., Chai, W. C., Venter, H., . . . Xiang, L. (2025). HPLC quantification of fourteen flavonoids in <i>Sophora flavescens</i> Aiton extracts and component-effect relationship against <i>Acinetobacter baumannii</i>. NATURAL PRODUCT RESEARCH, 6 pages.
DOI WoS2
2024 Hendry, A., Janetzki, J., & Chai, W. C. (2024). Understanding Australian Pharmacists’ Perceptions on the Utilisation of Oral 5-HT3 Antagonists as Pharmacist-Only Anti-Emetics in Comparison to Oral D2 Antagonists. Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 37(5), 1044-1047.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2023 Bui, T. N. T., Janetzki, J. L., Chai, W. C., & Suppiah, V. (2023). Exploring consumers' perspective of community pharmacists delivering COVID-19 vaccinations: an Australian pilot study. International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 31(3), 337-340.
DOI Scopus5 WoS6 Europe PMC3
2023 Janetzki, J., Chai, W., Bui, T., Sim, F., & Suppiah, V. (2023). The impact of medication shortages.. Australian Journal of Pharmacy, online.
2022 Chai, W. C., Whittall, J. J., Polyak, S. W., Foo, K., Li, X., Dutschke, C. J., . . . Venter, H. (2022). Cinnamaldehyde derivatives act as antimicrobial agents against Acinetobacter baumannii through the inhibition of cell division. Frontiers in Microbiology, 13(967949), 18 pages.
DOI Scopus27 WoS27 Europe PMC19
2021 Hu, S., Chai, W. C., Xu, L., Li, S., Jin, C., Zhu, R., . . . Xiang, L. (2021). Catecholic alkaloid sulfonates and aromatic nitro compounds from Portulaca oleracea and screening of their anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial activities. Phytochemistry, 181(112587), 1-11.
DOI Scopus18 WoS16 Europe PMC7
2021 Li, P., Chai, W. C., Wang, Z. Y., Tang, K. J., Chen, J. Y., Venter, H., . . . Xiang, L. (2021). Bioactivity-guided isolation of compounds from Sophora flavescens with antibacterial activity against Acinetobacter baumannii. Natural Product Research, 36(17), 4340-4348.
DOI Scopus17 WoS21 Europe PMC12
2020 Chai, W. C., Whittall, J. J., Song, D., Polyak, S. W., Ogunniyi, A. D., Wang, Y., . . . Venter, H. (2020). Antimicrobial action and reversal of resistance in MRSA by difluorobenzamide derivatives targeted at FtsZ. Antibiotics (Basel), 9(12), 1-22.
DOI Scopus15 WoS15 Europe PMC11
2017 Wang, Y., Cong, C., Chai, W. C., Dong, R., Jia, L., Song, D., . . . Ma, S. (2017). Synthesis and antibacterial activity of novel 4″-O-(1-aralkyl-1,2,3-triazol-4-methyl-carbamoyl) azithromycin analogs. Bioorganic and medicinal chemistry letters, 27(16), 3872-3877.
DOI Scopus17 WoS16 Europe PMC8
2017 Arzanlou, M., Chai, W. C., & Venter, H. (2017). Intrinsic, adaptive and acquired antimicrobial resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. Essays in Biochemistry, 61(1), 49-59.
DOI Scopus190 WoS170 Europe PMC135

Year Citation
2026 Haggan, M. (2026). Can pharmacists reduce the vaccination downturn?. Australian Journal of Pharmacy.
2025 Janetzki, J., & Chai, W. (2025). Planning a 'Euro summer' or cruise? Why another flu shot might save your holiday. The Conversation.
2025 Chisholm, A. (2025). What you should know about at-home urinary tract infection tests. ABC News.
2025 Janetzki, J., Chai, W., Bui, T., Sim, F., & Suppiah, V. (2025). Hospitals need ‘dedicated fulltime positions to manage medicines shortages’. Australian Journal of Pharmacy.
2024 Johnson, J., & Chai, W. (2024). Now you can get UTI antibiotics from pharmacies without prescription. Here’s what to know. The Conversation.
2023 Bui, T., Janetzki, J., Chai, W., & Suppiah, V. (2023). Covid jabs: why Aussies chose pharmacy. Australian Journal of Pharmacy.
2023 Janetzki, J., Chai, W., Bui, T., Fei, S., & Suppiah, V. (2023). The impact of medication shortages. Australian Journal of Pharmacy.

Year Citation
2026 Gadalla, G., Chai, W., Ellett, L. K., & Janetzki, J. (2026). Impact of the methylphenidate shortage on the dispensing of medicines for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Australia: A nationwide cohort study.
DOI

Developing reusable short-form pharmacology microlearning resources for health students, College of Health, Adelaide University, Teaching and Learning Grant 2026

Therapeutic approach at inhibiting bacterial cell division: A frontier in drug discovery and drug development, CHS Seed Grant, University of South Australia 2025

Courses I teach

  • PHAR 2014 Pharmacology A
  • PHAR 3020 Pharmacy Practice Health Services Provision
  • PHAR 4006 Managing and Developing Pharmacy Operations
  • PHAR 5030 Pharmacy Healthcare Services

 

Programs I'm associated with

  • IHPHAR - Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours)
  • HPODI - Bachelor of Podiatry
  • BPHSC - Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science
  • GCPHP - Graduate Certificate in Pharmacy Practice

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2024 Co-Supervisor Elucidating the genetic association between clozapine use and cardiometabolic dysfunction in treatment-resistant schizophrenia - Master Full Time Mr Rory Shepherd

Date Role Research Topic Location Program Supervision Type Student Load Student Name
2026 - ongoing Principal Supervisor Facilitators and Barriers to increasing vaccination uptake in community pharmacies Adelaide University - Honours - Ethan Goodeve
2026 - ongoing Principal Supervisor Evaluating the role of pharmacists in addressing the decline in childhood immunisation rates Adelaide University - Honours - Jay Leong
2026 - 2026 Co-Supervisor The Impact of ADHD Medication Shortages on patients: A survey Pharmaceutical Care Research Group, University of Basel - Master - Vivienne Fuchs
2025 - 2026 Co-Supervisor What is the Impact of ADHD Medication Shortages on Patients in Australia? Pharmaceutical Care Research Group, University of Basel - Master - Jana Bursinger
2025 - 2025 Co-Supervisor Game-Derived Interventions used for Pharmacology Education in Tertiary Settings: A Systematic Review National University of Singapore - Honours - Aurellia Grace Tandase
2025 - 2025 Co-Supervisor Game-Derived Interventions used for Pharmacology Education in Tertiary Settings: A Systematic Review National University of Singapore - Honours - Chew Ee Ching
2024 - 2024 Principal Supervisor Evaluating factors leading to staff turnover in Aseptic manufacturing workspaces and strategies to increase staff retention University of South Australia - Honours - Matthew Kosmas
2023 - 2023 Principal Supervisor Understanding Australian Pharmacists’ Perceptions on the Utilisation of Oral 5-HT3 Antagonists as Pharmacist-Only Anti-Emetics in Comparison to Oral D2 Antagonists University of South Australia - Honours - Aidan Hendry

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