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July 20, 2026Australian Journal of Rural Health

Hidden Capacity? Uncovering the Rural Australian Health Research Workforce Using National Census Data

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Authors

MKMichelle KerstenPort Macquarie Base HospitalKHKaren; id_orcid 0000-0002-3421-7406 HayesCharles Sturt UniversitySHSusan HeaneyPort Macquarie Base Hospital

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Implication

Cross-sectional analysis reveals the distribution of PhD-qualified health professionals in Australia, suggesting targeted investment in rural areas could enhance research capacity.

Key Points

  • To analyze the distribution and professional composition of PhD-qualified health professionals in Australia based on census data.
  • Cross-sectional analysis of the 2021 Australian Census data
  • Grouped occupations into medicine, allied health, and nursing
  • Used descriptive statistics and linear regression to examine distribution patterns
  • 85% of PhD-qualified health professionals reside in metropolitan areas (MM1)
  • 14% are in regional, rural and remote communities, with only 12 (<1%) in very remote areas (MM7)
  • Increased remoteness correlates with reduced PhD representation (β = -0.0041, p = 0.011)

Cite This Study

Kersten et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a5dba928bd453d3397abac0https://doi.org/10.1111/ajr.70234
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