Research
At the University of Newcastle Department of Rural Health, our research is grounded in community, collaboration and real-world impact. Working alongside local partners and national networks, we build research capability while addressing the unique challenges and opportunities of rural and regional health.
In 2025, our research delivered meaningful insights to improve rural health outcomes, enrich student experiences and strengthen the rural workforce. Research training and supervision remained a key focus, supporting a growing pipeline of emerging researchers across Higher Degree by Research (HDR), Honours and MD programs.
Across the year, our team published 37 peer-reviewed journal articles—68% in top-quartile journals—and delivered 30 conference presentations, reflecting strong contributions to national and international rural health research. Notably, 38% of publications were generated through student research, highlighting our integrated approach to research, education and workforce development.
Publications
The list of journal articles below is a sample of those authored or co-authored by staff members of the University of Newcastle Department of Rural Health (bolded below) and published in peer-reviewed journals within the last two years. The topics reflect our research strategy and key areas of research activity.
Alshalalfah, M., Pit, S. W., Bagade, T., Hamiduzzaman, K., Burrows, J., & Brown, L. J. (May 2025). Access and utilisation of allied health services among community dwelling rural adults aged 50 years and older living with chronic conditions: a scoping review. Age and Ageing, 54(5). doi:10.1093/ageing/afaf123
Barnes, C., Sutherland, R., Janssen, L., Jones, J., Robertson, K., Gowland-Ella, J., Kerr, N., Mitchell, A., Gillham, K., Brown, A. L., & Wolfenden, L. (January 2025). Improving the adoption of a school-based nutrition program: findings from a collaborative network of randomised trials. Implementation Science, 20(1). doi:10.1186/s13012-025-01417-8
Bennett, J., Kennedy, M., Bryant, J., Mersha, A., Korostenski, L., Stubbs, M., Parsons, J., & Wakely, L. (January 2025). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants admitted to the Hunter New England neonatal intensive care unit, 2016–2021: a retrospective medical record audit. Medical Journal of Australia, 222(1), 47-48. doi:10.5694/mja2.52533
Bourke, L., McNeil, R., Thompson, S., Debenham, J., Freire, K., Harvey, P., & Brown, L. (July 2025). Policy driven community development in rural and remote Australia: Analysis of University Departments of Rural Health using the Community Capitals framework. Journal of Rural Studies, 117. doi:10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103658
Bourke, L., Thompson, S., Freire, K., McNeil, R., Harvey, P., Brown, L., & Debenham, J. (August 2025). Impacts of University Departments of Rural Health to Their Regions Through Intellectual Capital. The Australian Journal of Rural Health, 33(4), e70081. doi:10.1111/ajr.70081
Britten, P. R., McNaughton, D. L., Moore, S. L., Edwards, S. A., Brown, L. J., Weaver, N., & Schumacher, T. L. (February 2025). Does Maternal Location of Residence Affect Low Birth Weight Outcomes in Hunter New England Local Health District? Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Open Access. doi:10.1111/ajo.13944
Brown, A., Cant, A., Wolfgang, R., Ramsden, R., Heaney, S., & Brown, L. J. (April 2025). Investigation of primary health care service delivery models used in allied health practice in rural and remote areas of Australia: a systematic review. BMC Health Services Research, 25(1). doi:10.1186/s12913-025-12717-6
Delaney, T., Jackson, J., Hudson, N., Lecathelinais, C., Brown, A. L., Young, S., Wolfenden, L., Craven, P., Hayes, M., Redman, S., Wiggers, J., Pinfold, J., Liackman, R., Groombridge, D., Nathan, N., & Sutherland, R. (April 2025). Breastfeeding and Early Infant Feeding Practices Among Women in the Hunter New England Region of New South Wales, Australia: A Cross Sectional Study. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 36(2). doi:10.1002/hpja.70028
Dong, H. J., Wahl, A., Henström Engblom, M., Löf, M., Kocanda, L., & Brain, K. (2025). Nutrition care in pain rehabilitation—success and lessons from practice. Pain Management. 15(12), 1027–1033 doi:10.1080/17581869.2025.2567836
Fisher, E., Brown, L., & Duncanson, K. (September 2025). Energy and protein intake threshold modelling using nutrition dashboard technology and sensitivity of hospital malnutrition identification. Nutrition & Dietetics. 2025; 82(4): 363-372. doi:10.1111/1747-0080.70007
Gallagher, R., Neubeck, L., Davis, A., Redfern, J., Parker, H. M., Hyun, K., Chow, C., Celermajer, D. S., Buckley, T., Schumacher, T., Tofler, G. Figtree, G. (May 2025). A Self-Administered Gamified Mobile Application for Secondary Prevention of Heart Disease in Patients Following a Cardiac Event (MyHeartMate): Process Evaluation from a Randomized Controlled Trial. Games for Health Journal, 14(3), 204-211. doi:10.1089/g4h.2024.0174
Green, E., Rasiah, R. L., Quilliam, C., Moore, L., Ridd, M., Ferns, J., Sheepway, L., Seaton, C., Taylor, C., Fitzgerald, K. (June 2025). What do Australian university staff perceive are the features of high-quality rural health student placements? A sequential explanatory study. BMJ open, 15(6), e098381-e098381. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2024-098381
Heaney, S., Little, A., Ferns, J., Burrows, J., Croker, A., & Brown, L. (May 2025). Supporting students’ collaborative practice: a narrative reflection on a workshop for developing clinical educators’ interprofessional rapport. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 1-6. doi:10.1080/13561820.2025.2501732
Ho, T., Elma, Ö., Kocanda, L., Brain, K., Lam, T., Kanhere, T., & Dong, H. J. (February 2025). The brain-gut axis and chronic pain: mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 19. doi:10.3389/fnins.2025.1545997
Holmes, K., Heaney, S., Smith, A., Skinner, J., & Burrows, T. (August 2025). Dietary E-Health Interventions for Adults With Severe Mental Illness: A Systematic Review. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 38(4). doi:10.1111/jhn.70112
Jessup, B., Brand, A., Kirschbaum, M., Allen, P., Bourke, L., Bailie, J., Heaney, S., Sheepway, L., Podubinski, T., Hoang, H., Obamiro, K., Jatrana, S., Knight, S., Fitzroy, R., & Rasiah, R. (February 2025). Rural nursing and allied health placements during the latter stage of the COVID-19 public health emergency: A national study. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 33(1). doi:10.1111/ajr.13209
Liew, Y., Brown, L. J., Madden, R., Alston, L., Urquhart, L., Heaney, S., & Schumacher, T. (June 2025). Understanding the Use of Community Involvement in Rural Food Environment Modifications: A Systematic Review. Current Nutrition Reports, 14(1), 87. doi:10.1007/s13668-025-00674-9
Kersten, M., & Coxon, K. (2025). Experiences of Community-Living Adults With Pressure Injuries: A Qualitative Systematic Review With Thematic Synthesis (September 2025) The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 79(5), 7905205030. doi:10.5014/ajot.2025.051173
Lavis, H., Thompson, A., Zander, V., Luland, R., Cowan, W., Lockwood, N., Donohue, J., Quinlan, G., Fernando, K., & Hodyl, N. (December 2025). ‘Gudhurr-wutu’ (strengthen the mob): maximizing the impact of First Nations health and well-being messaging. Health Promotion International, 40(6). doi:10.1093/heapro/daaf196
Needham, C., Jacobs, J., Zorbas, C., Alston, L., Schumacher, T., Fraser, P., Horta, A., Johnstone, M., Creighton, D., Koschel, A., Brown, L. J., Williams, A., Coates, J., Vereker, G., Vargas, C., Strugnell, C., Forrester-Bowling, T., Bolton, K. A., & Allender, S. (March 2025). A Human-Centred Co-Design Framework for Developing a Web-Based Platform to Engage With Rural Australian Communities: Addressing the Complex Issue of Healthy Food Access. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 33(2), e70028. doi:10.1111/ajr.70028
Onifade, O. M., Endacott, S. K., Schumacher, T., Rae, K. M., & Pringle, K. G. (March 2025). Breastfeeding of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander infants from a small rural cohort in Australia. International Breastfeeding Journal, 20(1). doi:10.1186/s13006-025-00708-6
Park, T., Brickwood, S., Buss, K., Tran, V., Parsons, D., Wisely, K., Gillett, K., Lavis, H., & Heaney, S. (May 2025). Virtually delivered lifestyle interventions for overweight and obese pregnant people: A systematic review. Women's Health, 21. doi:10.1177/17455057251336292
Paton, I., Patton, N., & Croker, A. (September 2025). Developing allied health collaborative practice capability for contemporary healthcare landscapes: serendipitous and deliberate. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 16(1), 171-191. doi:10.21153/jtlge2025vol16no1art2111
Paton, I., Patton, N., & Croker, A. (January 2025). Thriving through collaboration: Developing allied health collaborative practice capability. Rural and Remote Health, 25(1), 1-2. doi:10.22605/RRH9734
Payne, E., Heaney, S., Collins, C., Rollo, M., & Brown, L. J. (January 2025). Exploring the experiences of women and people with diabetes in pregnancy in metropolitan and rural Australia: a national survey. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 25(16). doi:10.1186/s12884-024-07093-8
Pullen, R., Sharman, M. J., Seivwright, A., Visentin, D., Kocar, S., Schumacher, T., Collins, C. E., Lester, L., Kent, K. (June 2025). The association between socioeconomic position and diet quality in rural and regional Australian adults. The British Journal of Nutrition, 1-34. doi:10.1017/s0007114525103486
Purohit, H., Lalwani, N., Love, G., Ma, A., Urquhart, L., Smallwood, R., & Croker, A. (2025). Medical students’ critical engagement with publications related to strategies addressing health disparities with Indigenous Peoples in Australia: critically iterative and iteratively critical. Higher Education Research & Development, 44(6), 1413-1428. doi:10.1080/07294360.2025.2525106
Quilliam, C., McNeil, R., Wakely, L., & Dew, A. (April 2025). Social inequalities in eligibility rates and use of the Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme, 2016–22: an administrative data analysis. Medical Journal of Australia, 222(10), 529-530 doi:10.5694/mja2.52654
Quilliam, C., Wakely, L., French, L., Ellis, N., McNeil, R., Fallon, T., Kersten, M., Bagley, K., Spong, J., Doney, R., Stubbs, C., Devitt, A., & McKinstry, C. (December 2025). Placing Rural in the National Disability Insurance Scheme Review. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 60(4), 1077-1083 doi:10.1002/ajs4.70024
Saw, E. M., Heaney, S., Robinson, A., & Squires, K. (2025). Using Instagram for health promotion: professional and ethical challenges for Australian nutritionists and dietitians. Health Promotion International, 40(6). doi:10.1093/heapro/daaf185
Schumacher, T. L., Clarke, E. D., Herbert, J., Jansson, A., Oldmeadow, C., Rollo, M. E., Milson, P., Alderton, C., Brown, L. J., May, J., Williams, A., Guppy, M., Ramanathan, S., Attia, J., & Collins, C. E. (October 2025). The effect of telehealth-based medical nutrition therapy on cardiovascular disease risk factors in a rural population: a secondary analysis of outcomes related to nutrition, health and well-being from the healthy rural hearts randomised controlled trial. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 22(1). doi:10.1186/s12966-025-01819-3
Schumacher, T. L., Jansson, A., Herbert, J., Clarke, E. D., Alderton, C., Milson, P., Oldmeadow, C., Brown, L. J., Rollo, M. E., Williams, A., Nutr, M. C., Guppy, M., Boyle, A., Ramanathan, S., May, J., Attia, J., & Collins, C. E. (July 2025) The effectiveness of medical nutrition therapy for people at moderate to high risk of cardiovascular disease in an Australian rural primary care setting: 12-month results from a pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial. BMC Health Services Research, 25(1). doi:10.1186/s12913-025-13096-8
Schumacher, T. L., Jansson, A. K., Kocanda, L., May, J., Brown, L. J., & Collins, C. E. (November 2025). Exploring recruitment strategies for place-based research in rural areas of Australia: a comparative case study analysis. BMC Primary Care, 26(1). doi:10.1186/s12875-025-03055-x
Stockings, J., Heaney, S., Chu, G., Choi, P., & Fernandez, R. (2025). Prevalence and Risk Factors of Sarcopenia in People Receiving Dialysis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Seminars in Dialysis, 38(4), 237-249. doi:10.1111/sdi.70000
Tullipan, M., George, J., Magin, P., Godbee, K., Ferns, J., & Frewin, C. (May 2025). A systematic review of targeted dementia risk reduction interventions in middle-aged adults in Primary Care. The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease, 12(6), 100187 doi:10.1016/j.tjpad.2025.100187
Versace, V. L., Harvey, P., Argus, G., Howard, C., & Brown, L. (2025). Towards a National Longitudinal Tracking Framework of Health Graduate Practice Locations. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 33(5). doi:10.1111/ajr.70085
Wakely, L., Quilliam, C., Bagley, K., Stubbs, C., Bailie, J., Spong, J., McHugh, C., Ellis, N., Fallon, T., Doney, R., French, L., Clarke, J., & McKinstry, C. (2025). Strengthening National Rural Disability Research Capacity Through a Community of Practice. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 33(6). doi:10.1111/ajr.70131
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.