Welcome from the Director

Welcome students, researchers and health professional colleagues to the University of Newcastle Department of Rural Health.

The University of Newcastle Department of Rural Health is dedicated to furthering rural health and wellbeing through our program of support for students and staff engaged in rural healthcare. We provide support for placements and clinical training across medicine, midwifery, nursing, nutrition and dietetics, physiotherapy, medical radiation sciences, occupational therapy, pharmacy, speech pathology and other healthcare disciplines. We support student placements within a large NSW geographical footprint, with teaching facilities and staff located in Tamworth, Taree, Armidale, Inverell,  Moree, Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour (refer to our location map).

We provide high quality student learning opportunities through our rural place-based community engagement, student placements and innovative research. Alongside clinical training, we support students to experience the benefits of rural life, across our wonderful rural locations. We encourage students to consider the excellent career and lifestyle opportunities that are offered in these thriving regional, rural and remote areas. It’s our hope that more health students will discover the benefits of living and working in our rural communities.

The Department also supports post-graduate learning experiences, with opportunities for healthcare professionals, new graduates and student supervisors to undertake locally delivered continuing professional development. In particular, our Regional Training Hub is enhancing and increasing training options for a variety of medical disciplines and supporting career paths for rural clinicians.

Our growing research expertise is reflected in our strategic research directions, which focus on rural workforce, education, Indigenous health and clinical evidence. We are dedicated to addressing the health challenges that impact our rural communities and our research seeks to find feasible and sustainable solutions. Building career paths for rural researchers, supporting research higher degree attainment and fostering co-design in rural communities are the ways in which we seek to add value to the communities in which we live and work.

We are funded through the Commonwealth’s Rural Health Multidisciplinary Program we are focussed on the development off the rural health workforce through facilitating student placements and learning, enhancing the health of local communities through community-based projects, identifying and supporting medical officers in their chosen training, and research into rural health issues.

With the support of a diverse and enthusiastic academic and clinical network, we are well placed to provide high-quality student teaching and learning experiences, excellence in research output, sustainable medical workforce and partnerships aimed at building strong and healthy communities.

If you are a health or medicine student, we encourage you to consider doing a rural placement with us, with support from our committed academics and clinical partners. It’s an invaluable experience that will contribute to your future health career.

Sincerely,

Associate Professor Leanne Brown
Acting Director
University of Newcastle Department of Rural Health