Grampians Health recognised for research initiative addressing inequities in healthcare access for regional Australians

Grampians Health has received recognition for a collaborative research initiative with Deakin Rural Health, addressing inequitable access to health and education for regional and rural Australians.

The Deakin University Faculty of Health Partnerships in Practice 2026 award for regional and rural research was jointly awarded to Grampians Health and Deakin Rural Health for their collaboration implementing innovative research initiative, Centre for Australian Research into Access (CARA).

CARA co-directors, Grampians Health Director of Research Development/Affiliate Associate Professor Deakin Rural Health, Dr Anna Wong Shee, and Deakin Rural Health Director, Professor Vincent Versace accepted the award with team members at an official ceremony in Melbourne last week.  

CARA, a collaborative research initiative led by Grampians Health and Deakin Rural Health, is helping turn research into practical action by identifying and understanding barriers to healthcare access for rural and regional Australians.

By using advanced computing and geospatial mapping to calculate travel time and distance metrics, CARA is able to map exactly how distance and travel time impact a community’s access to care, enabling health services to efficiently target resources and bring healthcare closer to rural and regional Australians.

The CARA partnership has mapped more than 750,000 hospital presentations to better understand how distance and travel time influence access to care. By making access gaps more visible, this work is helping translate research into planning, policy and practice. 

Award co-recipient, Dr Anna Wong Shee, said she is honoured to receive recognition for the CARA initiative’s research, translation and collaboration.

“This recognition reflects the strength of Grampians Health’s collaboration with Deakin Rural Health, and the shared commitment to improving health outcomes for the communities we serve,” said Dr Wong Shee. 

Grampians Health Chief Medical Officer, Professor Mattew Hadfield, said the award recognition highlights the importance of collaborative research.

“We are proud to work alongside partners who share a commitment to evidence-based care and stronger health outcomes for the region. Our partnership with Deakin Rural Health and CARA helps address access-related health disparities between rural, regional and metropolitan Australians ensuring communities in our region can access the care they need, closer to home,” said Professor Hadfield.  

To view the Deakin Partnerships in Practice Awards CARA video please click below link:
Youtube video Partnerships in Practice Awards 2026 | Centre for Australian Research into Access 

For more information about CARA please visit https://greateraccessforall.com/ 

For more information and to learn more about research at Grampians Health please visit https://research.gh.org.au/