Profiles And Contributions To This Article

Rural student entry into a medical course: a South Australian rural high school perspective

qualifications: BHSci

contribution: devised survey tool, literature review, collected data, supervised data collection, statistical analysis, wrote the first draft

position: Project officer

Gillian Laven

qualifications: PhD

contribution: original concept, designed the project, devised survey tool, supervised data collection, statistical analysis, wrote the first draft

position: Lecturer

Australia

Dr Gillian Laven works in medical education and research with a major interest in medical workforce, public and global health issues. She holds two positions within the University, lecturer and researcher within the Discipline of Rural Health, Spencer Gulf Rural Health School, School of Population Health and Clinical Practice and Reserach Fellow in the School of Medicine also within the Faculty of Health Sciences, the University of Adelaide. Since graduating from the University of Adelaide, Bachelor Health Sciences program in 1998, Gillian has been involved with issues relating to medical education and workforce and health related access for rural communities. In 2000, she began a large national study of general practitioners - the Australian Rural Background Study - to determine the association between rural background and the decision to practice in a rural location. This national study was undertaken with Professor's Justin Beilby and David Wilkinson and formed the basis to her thesis completed in 2008. Gillian coordinates the Global Health course for medical students interested in the management of population health (e.g. water and sanitation, infectious diseases) and the impact culture, gender and politics on health and medical workforce in rural and remote communities and developing worlds.

Jonathan Newbury

qualifications: MD

contribution: original concept, designed the project, contributed to drafts

position: Professor of rural health

Australia

Professor Jonathan Newbury has held the position of Professor of Rural Health at the University of Adelaide since February 2006. His previous academic responsibilities have been the Rural Undergraduate Support and Coordination program (1997 to 2006) and the Rural Clinical School (2002-2006) and he continues in part time general practice at the Investigator Clinic, Port Lincoln. Professor Newbury has undertaken substantial empirically based research, using a variety of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. His MD thesis was a randomised controlled trial of preventive Health Assessment of the people aged 75 years and over (75+HA). This research work included GP supervision of nurses providing home assessments was the Australian evidence base for the introduction of the Enhanced Primary Care policy and the Medicare item number for 75+HA. Internationally this evidence is included in the latest systematic review and meta-analysis of preventive aged care in primary health care. Professor Newbury's work in rural medical education has been part of the Australian governments Rural Health Strategy. While this is starting to deliver a new rural health workforce this is no longer seen as the only solution to adequate health workforce for rural and indigenous Australia. Hence his future research is directed to models of health service delivery in communities in partnership with Country Health SA. Through the development of these roles Professor Newbury brings an in-depth understanding of the relationships between clinical service delivery of primary health care and primary health care policy, especially in the areas of multi disciplinary practice and training, and workforce planning and training.

Caroline Laurence

qualifications: PhD

contribution: original concept, designed the project, contributed to drafts

position: Research fellow

Australia

Caroline Laurence is a Senior Research Fellow based in the Discipline of General Practice at the University of Adelaide. She also works part time as Research and Development Manager at the Adelaide to Outback GP Training Program. She completed her PhD in 2008. Her reserch intersts include rural medical workforce, health policy, chronic disease management and primary health care.