UDRH Profiles

The Broken Hill UDRH (BH UDRH) is located within the Sydney Medical School in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney. Designed to address rural health workforce issues, it has three academic areas:

A Clinical Medicine stream offers accessible, flexible, educational and vocational training as well as coordinating and delivering a rural placement program for medical and health science students.

The Centre for Remote Health Research provides research training for general practitioners and primary health care workers while supporting a network of active researchers in western NSW. It is a member of several research collaborations with local service provider organisations, within the Sydney Medical School, and with other research groups.

The Primary Health Care stream aims to improve the recruitment and retention of nurses and allied health professionals, and offers other professional development and support for local health professionals in far western NSW.

The BH UDRH also contributes to developments in preventative and population health, and helps formulate innovative service delivery models in rural and remote NSW.

The Northern Rivers UDRH (NRUDRH) is based in the Northern Rivers region of NSW and is a joint venture of the Faculty of Medicine of The University of Sydney and Southern Cross University in collaboration with the North Coast Area Health Service.

The Department’s main campus is in Lismore with smaller campuses in Murwillumbah and Grafton. These are linked to each other and the teaching hospitals of the University of Sydney by state-of-the art broad banded video conferencing.

Bounded by some of the State’s most desirable coastline which contains significant rainforest remnants, it also includes some of Australia’s most disadvantaged communities. Its unique setting, diverse clinical load and the high quality of local health services make the Northern Rivers very popular with students wishing to experience a rural placement.

The NRUDRH hosts a large number of students in a range of disciplines and provides an active educational and social support program. It also has a nationally respected research arm which includes health systems, health economics, mental health, environmental health, community-based research and a maternal child health stream.

The UDRH Northern NSW was established in 2002 as part of the University of Newcastle’s Faculty of Health. Its objective is to improve the health and well being of regional, rural and Indigenous communities within the New England, North West Slopes and Plains, areas of the Hunter Valley and Manning Rivers regions.

It has offices in Armidale, Moree, Tamworth and Taree that support placements from the disciplines of Medical Radiation Science, Nutrition and Dietetics, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Podiatry and Oral Health.

Co-located with the University of Newcastle’s Rural Clinical School in Tamworth and Taree, it shares office and teaching spaces and allows staff and students the opportunity to participate in innovative inter-professional learning opportunities. Other programs co-located with the UDRH include PHCRED, PAUDRH and Mental Health Academic programs.

The UDRH Northern NSW works in collaboration with Hunter New England Health and the University of New England.

The Monash University Department of Rural and Indigenous Health (MUDRIH) is based in Moe, Gippsland, but works right across Victoria, especially in Mildura, Gippsland and East Gippsland.

MUDRIH is committed to improving Indigenous health. Its Indigenous Health Unit works across the Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Faculty at Monash and also has a strong community focus. The Unit undertakes teaching, research and recruitment and retention activities in the field of Indigenous health.

MUDRIH is committed to delivering research excellence by undertaking research to bring about improvements in the health and wellbeing of residents of rural, remote and regional communities. It also assists in building the research capacity of rural health practitioners and stakeholders, with the focus on projects directly relevant to rural communities and informing the development of government policy in relation to rural physical and mental health services.

Committed to excellence in interdisciplinary education, MUDRIH delivers a range of flexible teaching and learning programs that span undergraduate, postgraduate and professional development courses. MUDRIH also provides education, research training and support to rural health professionals and health science students throughout their careers.

The University of Melbourne Department of Rural Health is based at Shepparton, where it is co-located with the Rural Clinical School. It also has key locations in Ballarat and Wangaratta. Supported by a Rural Health Academic Network (RHAN), its activities are conducted at a number of sites across Victoria. It promotes expansion of the rural healthcare workforce by facilitating student placements across the health professions, encourages evidence-based practice among current and future health professionals, supports existing rural health services and undertakes research and evaluation relevant to rural health care.

The Department has a focus on mental health, rural health systems, community development, Indigenous health, public health and clinical research. Capacity building initiatives, some undertaken as part of bridging programs or postgraduate and professional education and training, have assisted local health organisations in recruitment, retention, training and support. A Rural Health Module is also provided as a core subject in the medical curriculum to all undergraduate medical students of the University.

The Greater Green Triangle (GGT) UDRH was established in 2001 as a partnership between the School of Medicine at Flinders University and the Faculty of Health, Medicine, Nursing and Behavioural Sciences at Deakin University. The UDRH covers the regions of south west Victoria and so th east SA - known as the “Green Triangle” - with offices in Hamilton and Warrnambool (Victoria) and in Mt Gambier (SA).

The GGT UDRH provides an integrated program of research, education and training to promote excellence in rural and remote health education, training and research, while seeking to ensure practical outcomes and long-term benefits for regional communities. The research program focuses on chronic disease, depression and cardiovascular disease, as well as workforce issues. The major area of strength is diabetes prevention, where the GGT UDRH is both highly competitive and recognised internationally.

The education and training program focuses on continuing professional education for medical, allied health and other health professionals; research capacity building for primary health care workers and academic programs for both pharmacists and mental health professionals. The GGT UDRH also runs a Student Support program that works to ensure students undertaking clinical placements in the region experience successful and high quality placements.

The Mount Isa Centre for Rural and Remote Health (MICRRH) has introduced many new initiatives towards improving health in North West Queensland. The Centre takes a lead role in education, training and research with a focus on rural and remote health issues, Indigenous health, and population health. The Centre supports the teaching of the JCU Bachelor of Nursing Sciences.

The Centre also facilitates student placements across all health disciplines, in some of Australia’s most remote communities. The MICRRH also provides activities under the Commonwealth funded PHCRED Program, and undertakes research addressing the Centre’s key areas of focus.

Located in Geraldton in the Midwest region of WA, CUCRH is a collaboration between all five Western Australian universities, including a satellite office in South Hedland in the Pilbara region. CUCRH seeks to improve the health of the State’s rural and remote communities by building local intellectual infrastructure. Its innovative teaching program is experiential and multidisciplinary, serving approximately 400 undergraduate students annually. The active applied research program addresses rural and remote priorities in health services, health communication and population health. Enhancing Aboriginal health is an important part of CUCRH’s education and research work conducted in partnership with Aboriginal controlled organisations and health services.

We accomplish this mission through a multidisciplinary team of experienced health professionals and key support staff who work together with a range of stakeholders in regional, rural and remote communities in the UDRH catchment. Key activities include providing quality placements for undergraduate and post graduate students; assisting in the planning and establishment of effective models of health service delivery; conducting research and evaluation to improve the health of rural South Australians; and by providing education, training and support to existing health professionals in the region. The UniSA UDRH headquarters is located at the Whyalla campus of the University of South Australia. The UDRH supports a number of Learning Centres throughout the region including Port Augusta, Booleroo Centre, Port Pirie, Minlaton, Maitland, Port Lincoln, Clare and Kadina. These Learning Centres are equipped with dedicated student facilities including student accommodation, study areas, libraries and information technology infrastructure. UDRH research and evaluation projects are funded by competitive grants from national schemes and from the South Australian Department of Health, from Country Health SA and from other rural organisations including Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services.

Our key research interests are –

• the mitigation of chronic disease;
• chronic disease self-management;
• mental health;
• male health;
• Aboriginal health;
• health program evaluation.

The UDRH also provides a wide range of consultancy and support services to the rural and remote health sector. The UDRH staff have experience in many health service areas and also in Aboriginal cultural settings.

The Centre for Remote Health (CRH) is a joint centre of the Flinders and Charles Darwin Universities. Its primary location is in Alice Springs, NT, with satellite campuses in Katherine and Darwin. Its catchment area includes cross-border areas in SA and WA.

The Centre offers a range of educational programs, including the multidisciplinary Remote Health Practice Program and the Remote Health Management Program, with courses at Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, and Masters levels. These meet the need for preparatory and higher education for health professionals and health managers who work in remote areas.

CRH has established a research program with an emphasis on collaborative effort and capacity building. CRH has particular strengths in remote health services research, health services planning and development. Staff build partnerships with communities and organisations so that research activities are guided by community knowledge to improve people’s health in remote regions.

A primary aim has been to support communities to benefit not only from results of research but also from involvement in the research process. Research activities include a broad range of research topics and collaborations including injury prevention, PHC health service models, dementia, child nutrition and the nexus between land and health.

The UDRH, Tasmania, was established in 1997 and covers the entire state. It is based in Launceston, with offices in Burnie and Hobart..

The Department has established strong collaborative partnerships and strategic alliances with a range of organisations and rural communities. These underpin Departmental activities through 14 Rural Health Teaching Sites, which provide a base for education, training, and locally based research and evaluation.

The Department works with the health sector to support the rural health professional workforce on a multidisciplinary basis, liaising with education and training providers to provide access to interprofessional clinical experiences and to accredited flexible learning courses.

Workforce and Health Service Systems are the focal points of activity for the Department. Through its partnership with the PHCRED program, the UDRH contributes to building research capacity among rural health professionals and developing a strong rural health research culture.