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Hidden Capacity? Uncovering the Rural Australian Health Research Workforce Using National Census Data
Michelle Kersten1, Karen Hayes2, Susan Heaney1
1Department of Rural Health, University of Newcastle, Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia.
The Australian Journal of Rural Health
|July 18, 2026
Summary
Australia
Area of Science:
- Health Workforce Research
- Rural Health
- Health Services Research
Background:
- The distribution of PhD-qualified health professionals is crucial for research capacity.
- Understanding this distribution across diverse Australian settings is vital for equitable health outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct the first national analysis of PhD-qualified health professionals in Australia.
- To examine their distribution and professional composition across metropolitan, regional, rural, and remote areas.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a cross-sectional analysis of 2021 Australian Census data.
- Classified locations using the Modified Monash Model (MM) remoteness categories.
- Analyzed counts, proportions, and associations between remoteness and PhD representation.
Main Results:
- 85% of 21,510 PhD-qualified health professionals reside in metropolitan areas.
- 14% (3027) are in regional, rural, and remote (RRR) communities; only 12 (<1%) are in very remote areas (MM7).
- Increasing remoteness correlated with reduced PhD representation (β = -0.0041, p = 0.011).
Conclusions:
- Research capacity is heavily concentrated in metropolitan Australia.
- A significant number of PhD-qualified health professionals are present in RRR communities.
- Targeted investment can build sustainable rural health research capacity by leveraging this workforce.
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