The National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Associate Professor Luke Wakely as the new Editor-in-Chief of the Australian Journal of Rural Health (AJRH).
Based in Tamworth, NSW, Assoc Prof Wakely is a rural health researcher, clinician, and educator. He is an Academic Team Leader at the University of Newcastle’s Department of Rural Health, leading a team of allied health academics across four rural sites.
Assoc Prof Wakely brings more than 25 years’ experience as a practising physiotherapist, holds a credential in Paediatric Physiotherapy, and has a deep personal commitment to the communities he serves. With over 600 citations and more than 30 peer-reviewed publications, he is an established voice in rural health scholarship.
As incoming AJRH Editor-in-Chief, Assoc Prof Wakely said he is “committed to building on the journal’s strong foundations, ensuring it continues to serve as a vital platform for research that matters where it is needed.”
He will be working with the newly appointed Deputy Editor Dr Jo Spong and the editorial team. Dr Spong is Senior Research Fellow at Adelaide University Rural Health and an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at La Trobe Rural Health School. Assoc Prof Wakely and Dr Jo Spong have taken over duties from Dr Pim Kuipers, who has led and grown the AJRH since May 2023. We sincerely thank Dr Kuipers for his services over the years.
“The AJRH saw a rise in publications, quality and readership under Dr Kuipers’ leadership” Ms Susanne Tegen, Chief Executive of the NRHA, said. Submission research types and numbers of articles increased significantly under Dr Kuipers.
“The AJRH is a refereed online journal and welcomes papers from Australian and international rural researchers and clinician researchers,” said Dr Jo Spong. It provides research and policy articles, commentary and letters pertinent to health, disability and ageing care as well as health and medical clinicians living and working in rural and remote areas.
“Many rural solutions are locally designed, pragmatic and place based. Rural systems operate differently: thin markets, long distances, workforce scarcity, higher transport costs, volunteer reliance and higher exposure to climate and disaster pressures,” said Ms Tegen. “The AJRH keeps those structural realities visible, it is a voice and has the opportunity to influence policy and funding allocation through evidence.” The AJRH provides a channel to document health care workforce models that would otherwise remain invisible; outreach care, rural generalist models, community-led prevention, telehealth blended with face-to-face care, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation approaches, student placement innovation, transport solutions and multidisciplinary workforce models.