Barbara Liu

MD, FRCPC
Affiliate Scientist, Geriatrician
Barbara.liu@sunnybrook.ca
Phone: 416-480-6766
Fax: 416-480-6068

Dr. Liu’s areas of scholarly focus include senior-friendly care, delirium prevention and management, early mobilization, specialized geriatric services, fall prevention and optimizing medication use. She advances knowledge and practice in these areas through quality improvement, implementation of best practices, and translating knowledge into practice.
She leverages her extensive network and leadership roles to support the dissemination and implementation of best practices in the healthcare system to interprofessional teams and health professional learners.

Education

  • MD, 1987, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada
  • FRCPC, 1992, Internal Medicine, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
  • FRCPC, 1993, Geriatric Medicine, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
  • FRCPC, 1995, Clinical Pharmacology, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

Appointments & Affiliations

  • Affiliate Scientist, Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Hurvitz Brain Sciences Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute
  • Executive Director, Regional Geriatric Program of Toronto, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
  • Professor, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
  • Consultant, Geriatric Medicine, Sunnybrook
  • Division Director, Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
  • Fellow, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, U.K.

Research Foci

  • Falls prevention
  • Health services evaluation
  • Senior-friendly health care

Affiliated Labs & Programs

Selected Publications

  1. Liu B, Moore, JE, Almaawiy U, Chan WH, Khan S, Ewuisi J, Hamid JS, Straus SE on behalf of the MOVE ON Collaboration. Outcomes of mobilisation of vulnerable elders in Ontario (MOVE ON): a multisite interrupted time series evaluation of an implementation intervention to increase patient mobilization. Age Ageing 1–7. DOI:

  2. Wong KS, Ryan DP, Liu, BA. A system-wide analysis using a senior friendly hospital framework identifies current practices and opportunities for improvement in the care of hospitalized older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2014 Nov;62(11):2163–70.

  3. Liu BA, Jackson LD. Drug prescribing in the older patient [Internet]. Philadelphia (PA): Physicians’ Information and Education Resource (U.S.); c2006.

  4. Liu BA, Juurlink DN. Drugs and the QT interval - caveat doctor. N Engl J Med. 2004 Sep;351(11):1053–6.

  5. Liu B, Anderson G, Mittmann N, To T, Axcell T, Shear N. Use of selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors or tricyclic antidepressants and risk of hip fractures in elderly people. Lancet. 1998 May;351(9112):1303–7