The health of communities in rural and remote Australia will benefit from a new health research alliance between The University of Queensland (UQ) and the University of Southern Queensland (USQ).
The jointly-badged Centre for Rural and Remote Area Health (CRRAH) was officially opened at USQ today by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Federal Minister for Health and Aging, Ms Trish Worth.
Ms Worth congratulated UQ and USQ on the alliance and said that the development of the Centre was testament to their dedication and commitment to rural and regional health.
“The research work of the Centre will provide a valuable contribution to shaping the provision of health care services in rural and regional areas. The evidence-base that such research provides allows the development of initiatives that address genuine community needs,” Ms Worth said.
Director of CRRH, Professor Desley Hegney, said the Centre was an exciting research venture involving UQ and USQ.
She said the joint-badging demonstrated the benefits of Universities, Government and the health industry working together to improve community health care to disadvantaged communities.
“CRRH has been operating at USQ for two years but this alliance will deliver high-level research collaboration as it combines USQ’s rural and remote nursing expertise with UQ’s expertise in medicine and rural clinical schools,” Professor Hegney said.
She said the Centre aimed to improve access to and the standard of health care for rural and remote Australians and improve the education and training of the health workforce.
The Centre currently employs 12 staff including three at St Vincents Hospital in Toowoomba.
Professor Hegney announced that under the agreement, the Director of UQ’s Rural Clinical Division based at Toowoomba Hospital, Associate Professor Peter Baker, had been appointed an Honorary Professor at USQ and Deputy Director of the Centre.
Acting Executive Dean of Health Sciences at The University of Queensland, Professor Bruce Abernethy, said the new Centre demonstrated UQ’s continuing commitment to development of regional health infrastructure and workforce recruitment, and the training of health professionals to work in regional and rural communities.
“It is anticipated that the new Centre will not only provide high quality research that has relevance to these communities, but will also support the need to attract health professionals to work in regional areas,” Professor Abernethy said.
