John Humphreys - Professor Rural Health Research

John Humphreys is Professor of Rural Health Research in the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash University. John was educated at the University of Melbourne and Monash University, and has worked at several universities in Australia and overseas, including the Ohio State University, the University of London; Monash University, James Cook University of North Queensland, the Swinburne University of Technology, the Australian National University, the University of New England, and La Trobe University in Bendigo where he was Head of the School of Health and Human Sciences.

John is well known for his academic research on health service provision in rural and remote areas of Australia, a field in which he has published widely in both journals and books. He has undertaken extensive fieldwork on rural health issues in north-west Queensland, the Wimmera-Mallee region of Victoria, and the Orana and Far West region of New South Wales. John's research interests focus on rural communities, health service provision in rural and remote areas of Australia, rural workforce recruitment and retention, rural health policy and the evaluation of rural health programs.

In addition to his academic career, John has worked in the Victorian Health Commission and the Commonwealth Department of Health and Human Services in Canberra where he took a lead role in developing the first National Rural Health Strategy 1994 and later the National Rural Health Strategy Update 1996. In 1999 John was a facilitator and a member of the Implementation Committee for the Regional Australia Summit auspiced by the Deputy Prime Minister and the Department of Transport and Regional Services at Parliament House Canberra. He has reviewed several national rural health programs, including the Rural Undergraduate Support and Co-ordination program in Australian Medical Schools. John has been a member of numerous reference groups and is currently a member of several Advisory Committees for the Australian Department of Health and Ageing.

Academic Qualifications

• Bachelor of Arts (Hons), University of Melbourne
• Diploma of Education, University of Melbourne
• Doctor of Philosophy, Monash University

Awards

• Dr Louis Ariotti Research Award for innovation and excellence in rural and remote health research, 1998.
• UNE Vice-Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence 1995.

Research Interests

Current research focuses on health care planning in rural and remote Australia, specifically:

• The social and spatial patterns of need for health related services in rural areas,
• Rural health workforce recruitment and retention,
• The provision of sustainable education, training and support for rural health workers,
• Rural health service models,
• Rural community development, and
• Rural health policies and planning.

Selected Publications

• “Meeting the needs of rural and remote Australians for specialist medical care: Issues and options”, with R. Pegram & R. McLean, The Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, 2005 35:298-308.
• “How do rural consumers contribute to the quality assurance of health services?”, with T. Meehan-Andrews, J. Jones, L. Griffin, B. Wilson & K. Smith, Australian Health Review, 2005, 29:4, 447-454.
• “Overseas Trained Doctors in Australia: Community integration and their intention to stay in a rural community”, with G.S. Han, Australian Journal of Rural Health, 2005, 13: 236-241.
• “Still the doctor – by a country mile! Preferences for health services in two country towns in north-west New South Wales”, with K.B. Smith, Y. Lenard, J.A. Jones, V. Prince & G.S. Han, The Medical Journal of Australia, 2004, 181(2):91-95.
• “Access and equity in Australian rural health services”, with J. Dixon, in J. Healy & M. McKee, Health Care: Responding to Diversity, Oxford University Press, 2004, 89-107.
• “Health care provision for country people with developmental disability: An Australian perspective”, with T. Iocono, R. Davis & N. Chandler, Research in Developmental Disabilities, 2004, 25:3, 265-284.
•  “The influence of geographical location on the complexity of rural general practice activities”, with J. Jones, M.P. Jones, D. Mildenhall, P.R. Mara, B. Chater, D.R. Rosenthal, N.M. Maxfield & M.A. Adena, 2003 The Medical Journal of Australia, 179, 416-420.
• “Workforce retention in rural and remote Australia: Determining the factors that influence length of practice”, with M. Jones, J. Jones & P. Mara, The Medical Journal of Australia, 2002, 176(10), 472-476.
• Whither rural health? - Reviewing a decade of progress in rural health”, with D. Hegney, J.M. Lipscombe, G. Gregory & A.B. Chater, Australian Journal of Rural Health, 2002, 10:2-14.
•  “Rural Psychiatry: Special Issues and Models of Service Delivery”, with F. Judd, C. Fraser, M. Grigg, J. Scopelliti, G. Hodgins & A. Donoghue, Journal for Disease Management and Health Outcomes, 2002, 10(12), 771-781.
• “Health service models in rural and remote Australia”, in D. Wilkinson et al., The New Rural Health: An Australian Text, Oxford University Press, 2002, 273-296.
• A modified framework for rural general practice: the importance of recruitment and retention, with F. Rolley, Social Science & Medicine, 1998, 46(8): 939-945.
• Health Service Frameworks for Small Rural and Remote Communities - Issues and Options, with S Mathews-Cowey & F. Rolley, 1996, Armidale: University of New England.
• Health and Health Care in Rural Australia, with F. Rolley, 1991, Armidale: University of New England.