The National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA) is pleased to host the 10th Rural & Remote Health Scientific Symposium in Mparntwe/Alice Springs this week, under clear blue skies, among the red MacDonnell ranges and temperatures of 39 degrees.
Centred around the theme Research from the heart – Shaping rural & remote health futures, the Symposium will unite Australia-wide health researchers, policymakers, and leaders from government and non-government sectors and institutions to help shape the future of rural and remote health research and provide solutions to improve health, disability and ageing outcomes.
Susi Tegen, the NRHA Chief Executive, recognises the importance of ensuring place-based research is at the core of the Symposium. “The determinants of rural health and development – such as workforce availability, infrastructure, digital connectivity, community cohesion, and geographic isolation – interact in ways that are profoundly local.
Topics include the development and resilience of the health and medical workforce, digital health technology and practice, climate disaster impact on health, wellbeing and housing, Indigenous safety and healthcare, education and training of the future workforce, and treatment of specific diseases in rural and remote settings.
“By anchoring research in place, scholars, researchers, and healthcare practitioners generate insights that are empirically grounded, socially and geographically legitimate, and practically implementable within those unique socio-economic conditions”, she said.
Underinvestment in rural research contributes to ongoing health inequity by limiting rural-specific evidence and insights. By supporting the development of local, rural-focused, and Indigenous researchers, the NRHA aims to stimulate greater interest and investment in local research that drives positive, sustainable solutions and informs effective policy and funding action.
“It gives visibility to the voices of communities who are frequently excluded from metropolitan-centric data and policy and funding discussions, thereby redressing the systemic under-representation of rural populations in national evidence bases, despite making up almost 30% of the Australian population,” Ms Tegen said.
“This kind of research also cultivates participatory partnerships with local stakeholders, including the housing, food, and education sectors ensuring that community priorities are acted upon with evidence”.
As highlighted in the NRHA’s recently published Expenditure Deficit in Rural Australia report, there is an $8.35 billion gap between urban and non-urban populations. This translates to individuals in rural, regional and remote areas receiving an average of $1,090.47 less each year – a gap that continues to widen. While living in rural and remote Australia has many positives, this disparity underscores the critical importance of place-based research and targeted solutions to maximise benefits for rural communities, no matter where they are.
The program features general presentations, concurrent sessions, and poster displays, along with keynote addresses from a variety of speakers, including Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health the Hon Emma McBride MP, Associate Professor Geoff Argus, and Dr John Boffa, Chief Medical Officer Public Health at the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress.
The Symposium will be hosted by the NRHA in association with the Australian Rural Health Education Network (ARHEN) and the Federation of Rural Australian Medical Educators (FRAME).
More information about the 10th Rural and Remote Health Research Symposium can be found here.
Media enquires: Kate Tarbotton, Administration, Media, and Policy Assistant, National Rural Health Alliance, [email protected]