Inaugural MABEL forum
Participants at the MABEL forum
Names very familiar to those working in the School of Rural Health have played a large role in the inaugural MABEL Research Forum held at the University of Melbourne.
MABEL (Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life) is a longitudinal national survey of doctors supported by NHMRC as a Centre for Research Excellence in Medical Workforce Dynamics, with Emeritus Professor John Humphreys one of the Chief Investigators.
Senior Research Fellow Dr Matthew McGrail, based at the Gippsland Medical School, leads the Rural Workforce Supply and Distribution theme within MABEL.
Matthew and John presented three papers at the MABEL forum: Translating rural medical workforce data into evidence-based policy; Understanding the dynamics of rural GP mobility; and Preferences for rural medical workforce retention policies.
The forum was well attended by senior academics, policy makers, and representative organisations including Health Workforce Australia, Department of Health and Ageing, Rural Doctors Association, various Postgraduate Medical Education Councils and various Rural Health Workforce agencies. The Medical Students Outcome Database project, as well as Professor Roger Strasser and Dr Sarah Strasser, were also involved. All presentations were followed by strong discussions and questioning from the audience.
The forum showcased some of the important medical workforce research taking place in MABEL, particularly those led by the School of Rural Health. It is hoped that this forum will become an annual event as the research output using MABEL data continues to grow.
More information is available at the MABEL website or by contacting Matthew McGrail.