Regional health research is now in the national strategy. Here’s how it got there.

The problem

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“We had the evidence that regional Australians carry a heavier disease burden and get a fraction of the research spend. What we needed was for that to land in Canberra.”

Professor Sarah Larkins

Dean, College of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University

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What we did

Because our members span universities, hospitals, industry and philanthropy, we could frame regional health as a problem for the whole system and not a request from one part of it. That framing is what made it hard to set aside.

What changes now

Being in the strategy is a starting point, not a finish line. The next test is whether funding follows: dedicated regional research streams, trial networks that reach beyond the cities, and careers that let researchers stay in the communities they study.

Regional health is our campaign theme for the first quarter of 2027, and we’ll keep reporting on progress here and in the evidence hub.