A global view of rural health
by Rodney Magazinovic
The
launch of the Centre for Rural Health and Community Development (CRHaCD)
in Whyalla this month heralds a major research initiative to improve
the health and wellbeing of rural communities. Internationally
experienced research fellow Dr Geneviève Baratiny recently joined
the centre.
Born and educated in France, Dr Baratiny has over has over 15 years experience in teaching, research and project management with a focus on clinical and public health. As a research consultant, she has conducted large reviews of hospital services and has lectured in epidemiology and population medicine (University of Newcastle, Australia), basic statistics and research methods and health psychology at two New Zealand universities.
Dr Baratiny says her previous stint as a lecturer inspired a move
into hands-on research.
"Through the lecturing and tutoring of epidemiology and statistics, I realised it’s all very well to have the theory but I felt a strong desire to put a lot of it into practice," she says. "That was my motivation to become more research-focused and I haven’t looked back since."
One research highlight was the coordination of a drug trial in Australia, New Zealand and Finland of around 10,000 diabetes patients.
"Being part of a project of that size is always challenging, particularly as the management and coordination aspects took place in three countries."
She says that as well as UniSA’s research and publishing track record, there were a number of other factors that swayed her decision to join the CRHaCD.
"The CRHaCD is genuinely linked to rural and Indigenous communities by its geographical location. This enables us to engage with rural communities and organisations to build research capacity and partnerships to help maximize the wellbeing of rural communities," she says.
"As it is a new centre, there is plenty of scope to develop and pursue my own research interests within its framework. I am interested in mental health research and wellbeing as well as the early detection, prevention and management of chronic diseases, in particular cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
"As a CRHaCD research fellow I will be involved in population health interventions and evaluation projects that aim to improve cardiovascular health, mental health and wellbeing of rural, remote and Indigenous communities. I also hope to look into the availability and use of health services, in particular, whether they are equitable and efficient."
Professor Brian Cheers, CRHaCD Director, says that her appointment was something of a coup for the centre.
"She has both the rigour and sophistication of a university-based researcher and an exceptional skills base in high-impact international consultancy work that is unique when compared with most research fellows," he says.