Deakin Rural Health

Deakin Rural Health (DRH) has a focus on student placement support, community engagement and rural health research. We offer programs to assist, educate and support both students and health professionals undertaking placements or working in the western Victoria region. Our research program focuses on improving the health, social and economic burdens imposed by chronic disease in regional Victoria. We embrace a commitment to support the improved health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

DRH was formed in 2016 as part of the Commonwealth Government's Rural Health Multi-Disciplinary Training Program. This training program is a national initiative to build and sustain the rural health workforce by supporting training and research initiatives throughout rural and remote Australia.

We are one of 20 University Department of Rural Health (UDRH) groups around the nation supported by the Australian Rural Health Education Network. UDRHs are the only rurally based academic facilities that work with all health disciplines at both tertiary (undergraduate and postgraduate) levels and the current workforce.

Our work in the region focuses on generating more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander graduates in the health sector and developing research activity in the fields of community-developed models of health care. Through our research, we also aim to increase the engagement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in south-west Victoria.

We offer unique hybrid nursing placements that are the result of a partnership between Budja Budja Aboriginal Cooperative, Stawell Regional Health and DRH. Students placed at Stawell Regional Health spend time at Budja Budja Aboriginal Cooperative, gaining valuable skills as they immerse themselves in many aspects of Indigenous health.