La Trobe Rural Health School conference: Solutions-focussed Rural Health Research

This year we bring together a wide-ranging and diverse group of research projects in the areas of Allied Health, Nursing & Midwifery, Biomedicine, Pharmacy, and Dentistry and Oral Health. We are privileged to have Adjunct Associate Professor Belinda O’Sullivan and Ms Mandy Hutchinson as our keynote speakers.

Belinda O’Sullivan, Consultant specialising in rural health policy

Belinda is a physiotherapist who completed an MPH and went on to progress a career in government and industry health policy and programs before finding her true passion in rural health.

She completed a PhD on rural outreach models, based at Monash University in Bendigo in 2016 and continued to work at the intersection between policy and research including as a Director in the inaugural Office of the Rural Health Commissioner, integrated cancer services, various peak bodies, and Primary Health Networks. She led consultancies for the NSW and Victorian Health Departments, Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine, Remote Vocational Training Scheme and World Health Organisation.

Her research interests are on rural training, models of health service delivery and embedding best practice of workforce supervision and support. She specialises in longitudinal workforce studies, place-based participatory action research and applied research and evaluation to inform rural workforce strategies.

Mandy Hutchinson, CEO, Bendigo Community Health Services

Currently CEO at Bendigo Community Health Services, reporting to a Board of Directors, Mandy has oversight of a budget of $25 million with ultimate responsibility for over 280 staff. Mandy is an experienced community health executive, having been CEO at Northern District Community Health for six years. Along with community health experience, Mandy was Director Community Wellbeing at Gannawarra Shire Council overseeing complex funding and stakeholder relationships during significant periods of growth and change.

Mandy is an advocate for improving health and wellbeing outcomes for regional and rural communities utilising a place-based service development approach coupled with research designed to influence much needed community sector change. Mandy is a founding member and current Chair of the Alliance of Rural and Regional Community Health (ARRCH), aimed at reducing health inequity in rural and regional Victoria.