Rural health research networks, supported by corporate and community partnerships, are essential for addressing the health disparities faced by rural and remote populations.
By combining resources, enhancing communication, ensuring sustainability, and building local research capacity, these collaborations can lead to significant improvements in health outcomes for individuals living in rural communities.
Barclay, L., Phillips, A., & Lyle, D. (2023). Rural and remote health research: Does the investment match the need? Rural and Remote Health, 23(1), 1-12.
APPLY HERE The WHRN network is pleased to announce on behalf of our sponsors the following opportunities for support to attend the WHRN2026 Research Symposium and Western NSW Researcher of
A/Prof Levi Osuagwa from Western Sydney University talks about his experience with Journal Clubs, how to take the next steps, and how to develop and sustain them locally. https://youtu.be/hk4rMtljdPs Link:
It’s time to get your Abstract submitted! Abstracts for WHRN2026 will close Monday 6 July. Submission is being done via the AwardForce platform: Western NSW Health Research Network Research Symposium
We will be joined by Dr Natasha Friend and Dr Bronwyn Wyatt from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Equity Team. They will provide an overview of NHMRC’s equity policy activities, with a particular focus on gender, regional, remote and rural (RRR) equity and indigenous equity activities
This presentation will be followed by a session exploring the barriers faced by regional, rural and remote researchers with discussions on advancing equity across the research sector to complete the session.
Dr Natasha Friend is the Assistant Director Equity in the Research Quality and Advice Branch at the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Natasha helps lead NHMRC equity policy across priority areas including gender and rural, regional and remote equity. Natasha completed her PhD in the genetics of multiple myeloma at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute. She has worked at both NHMRC and the Australian Research Council in several roles including grants administration, evaluation and policy.
Dr Bronwyn Wyatt is a Senior Policy Officer in the Research Quality and Advice Branch at the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), supporting initiatives that promote equity in and through health and medical research. Bronwyn has a PhD in Biological Anthropology from the Australian National University and previously worked as a Data Analyst at the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare across a range of national health data programs.
Shalinie King is an Associate Professor with the University of Sydney Dental School where she is the academic lead for Rural Placements, and program lead for Oral Health Research at the Westmead Applied Research Centre (WARC). Shalinie is a practising clinician with experience working in both the public and private sectors, she has extensive teaching experience and recently completed a 12-month term as Director of Academic Education at the Sydney Dental School.
Her research interests include understanding the associations between oral health and overall health, developing and evaluating strategies to improve community access to basic oral health information focusing on the use of digital technologies to support oral health promotion. Her work aims to design and implement new models of care that integrate oral and overall health care and, that improve community awareness and knowledge about the importance of good oral health in contributing to better overall health outcomes.
Dr Lauren Church is a Lecturer with the University of Sydney Dental School, where she is third-year unit of study coordinator for the Bachelor of Oral Health. Lauren is a registered clinician with public and private sector experience and teaches BOH students in the acute care setting at Sydney Dental Hospital, where she fosters interprofessional learning between BOH and DMD students.
She recently completed her PhD at the University of Sydney. Her research examines the connection between oral health and cardiovascular disease, oral health education in hospital settings, and protocols for integrating digital oral health interventions into cardiac rehabilitation. Her work aims to shape compassionate, patient-centred clinicians and to advance oral health within broader public health strategies. Lauren is Deputy Chair of the Oral Health Association of Australia (NSW Branch) and NSW Oral Health Representative for the Public Health Association of Australia.
Melissa is a regionally based occupational therapist working with rural communities, health service users, families, health professionals and service providers. She has a strong background in collaborative and partnership-based research that focuses on translating evidence into healthcare practice, supporting health professionals to build sustainable research networks, co-design and co-production with community stakeholders, and evidencing impacts of healthcare initiatives.
AProf Marco Paschoal is an Associate Professor in Clinical Dentistry at Charles Sturt University, (Orange Campus) and a specialist paediatric dentist with a strong commitment to advancing child oral health through research, education, and clinical practice. His research focuses on developmental dental defects, particularly molar hypomineralisation, alongside cariology, and evidence-based approaches to paediatric dental care. He has published extensively in international peer-reviewed journals and is passionate about translating research findings into meaningful improvements in clinical care and health outcomes for children and adolescents. Beyond his academic role, he has actively contributed to the advancement of oral health research through professional leadership and scholarly service. He serves as the IADR Western NSW Councillor and is an active member of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Paediatric Dentistry (ANZSPD) and the International Association of Paediatric Dentistry (IAPD). He also contributes to scientific publishing as a Board Member of Scientific Reports, an Editorial Board Member of BMC Oral Health, and a Guest Editor for BMC Pediatrics, supporting the dissemination of high-quality research and evidence-based practice worldwide.
Matt Thomas is a clinical psychologist working in the role of Principal Practice Lead with Marathon Health, based in Bathurst, NSW. His role includes leading research activities focussed on evaluation of innovative rural health services and rural health workforce development. He is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Psychology at Charles Sturt University and in the Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health at the University of NSW.
Carrie Hayter works to amplify the human rights and living experience of people who use aged care, disability and health care services and has over 30 years’ experience working alongside people who use aged care, disability and health services to improve and change service systems. Carrie has a Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) from the University of NSW, a Masters of Economics (Honours) from the University of Sydney, is a 2017 graduate of the Sydney Leadership Program, and a Distinguished Member of the Australian Association of Gerontology. Carrie has living experience of Coronary Artery Disease and is a consumer representative on the St Vincents Private Hospital Consumer Advisory Committee, the St Vincents Private Hospital Clinical Governance Committee and the Westmead Applied Research Centre in Sydney. She is a Consumer Adviser on the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Consumer and Community Involvement Working group that is working to improve consumer and community involvement in research across the Institute. Between 2021 and 2024, she worked for Health Consumers NSW as the Consumer Engagement Manager, Health and Medical Research, working to build the capability and capacity of consumers and researchers to involve consumers and the community in health and medical research. Carrie’s vision is for all people and communities to live their best lives supported by service systems underpinned by human rights and evidence-based practice. Find out more at https://www.carriehayter.com/.
Melissa is a regionally based occupational therapist working with rural communities, health service users, families, health professionals and service providers. She has a strong background in collaborative and partnership-based research that focuses on translating evidence into healthcare practice, supporting health professionals to build sustainable research networks, co-design and co-production with community stakeholders, and evidencing impacts of healthcare initiatives.
Research often begins with a simple question: Why does this happen? Could we do this differently?
Designed for clinicians with emerging curiosity about research, this interactive workshop explores how everyday challenges, observations, and quality improvement activities can become meaningful research opportunities. Through a researcher panel and practical group activities, participants will learn how to identify workplace problems, develop research questions, and take their first steps towards research that can improve rural health services and patient outcomes.
Luke Marks is a Research Coordinator, nurse leader, and PhD candidate with more than 24 years’ experience across rural and regional healthcare. His clinical background spans emergency, paediatric, community, renal, perioperative, intensive care, and nursing leadership roles. Luke currently leads initiatives focused on nursing and midwifery workforce development, leadership, research, advanced practice, and professional standards. Passionate about building research capacity within the healthcare workforce, Luke is the founder of the Nursing and Midwifery Research Excellence Centre (NaMREC), an Adjunct Senior Lecturer with Charles Sturt University, and is currently undertaking a PhD exploring leadership practice among Advanced Practice Nurses in regional New South Wales. A Wiradjuri man living and working on Wiradjuri Country, Luke is committed to supporting clinicians to translate curiosity, quality improvement activities, and everyday practice challenges into meaningful research that strengthens rural health services and improves patient outcomes.
Sharon is a Registered Nurse and academic at Charles Sturt University (CSU) with extensive experience in community-based nursing, health service management, and organisational development. Her experience extends from major metropolitan hospitals to rural and small remote Australian health services and has included major state level project work. Her research interests include transition to professional practice, rural nursing workforce preparation, development, retention, and capacity building. Sharon has been working with the Western NSW LHD Nursing and Midwifery Research Excellence Centre (NaMREC) to build research capacity and capability through a number of projects. If accepted, this workshop will be co-facilitated by NaMREC project participants and CSU partners.
We will hear from Michael Newman, Deputy CEO of the Lowitja Institute, who will provide an overview of the Institute’s work. He will be followed by Judy Johnson, Chair of the Riverina Medical and Dental Aboriginal Corporation, and Simone Sherriff, Senior Research Fellow at the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, University of Sydney, who will present a Lowitja Institute-funded research case study from Western NSW.
Nicole Turner, CEO of the Aboriginal Health & Medical Research Council of NSW, will then discuss the importance of strategic research and its role in improving Aboriginal health outcomes. The session will conclude with an opportunity for questions and discussion.
Following this, Jamie Newman will introduce the Orange Aboriginal Medical Service (OAMS). We will then hear from Fiona Clarke, Clinical Administration Lead at OAMS, who will present research from the Antecedents of Renal Disease in Aboriginal Children and Young People (ARDAC) Kidney Health Research Program. Anne-Marie Mepham, Chronic Care Coordinator at OAMS, will then present Screen Your Way, a cervical screening self-collection project.
The session will conclude with a further opportunity for Q&A and discussion.
In this session, you’ll work your way through a fun set of questions to discover new contacts and connections. It’s a networking adventure, with maps of where you travelled – and maybe even some treasure – at the end.
You’ll need to bring your mobile phone along to this session to take part.
Dr Andrew Goodman is an Aboriginal man from Iningai Country in Queensland. Prior to his PhD, Dr Goodman spent more than 13 years as an Indigenous Healthcare Worker in Queensland, focusing on cardiac and healthcare services with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Currently, he is a Research Scientist with CSIROs digital health program, where he leads research initiatives focused on building the evidence base for digital health technologies that align with the priorities, interests, and needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Central to his approach is the principle of “Relationships before Partnerships,” which emphasises trust, reciprocity, and accountability as the foundation for meaningful collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations.
