Welcome to the rural research blog – brought to you by the Section of Rural Health.
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The ‘Postcards from the Edge’ series has come to an end and are archived here.
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Congratulations to Rural Health Researchers!
Our shining stars, Dr Rory Miller and Assoc Prof Garry Nixon are among 22 University of Otago researchers to receive Health Research Council funding in the latest round. Check out the full report. – well worth it for the photos!
Awesome to see rural health research being supported!
“Dr Rory Miller, of the Department of General Practice and Rural Health, will assess a pathway to allow patients who develop chest pain to remain closer to their communities and whanau by accessing blood testing technology which is as accurate as those available in urban emergency departments.”
“Associate Professor Garry Nixon, of the Department of General Practice and Rural Health, is seeking to better understand the impact of rurality on health outcomes and healthcare delivery. Aotearoa has not undertaken much research into the health status of rural communities, so he wants to find out how rurality, ethnicity and socioeconomic status interact to impact on health outcomes and access to health services for New Zealanders, how people move between urban and rural areas when they become unwell, and how much public healthcare rural New Zealanders consume, in dollar terms, compared to their urban compatriots.”
26th July 2022 - CME Webinar: Bare Bones of Flaming Joints

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Webinar recording: Inflammatory Bowel Disease
You can also listen to the audio only using the links below or directly here.
Available on iTunes or any other podcast apps
Podcast: rural accelerated chest pain pathway - repost from the RNZCUC
We are joined by Dr Rory Miller to discuss a recently published paper that looked at the use of point of care troponin alongside an accelerated chest pain pathway in New Zealand rural and primary care.
https://academic.oup.com/ehjacc/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ehjacc/zuac037/6562963?login=false
Miller R, Nixon G, Pickering JW, Stokes T, Turner RM, Young J, Gutenstein M, Smith M, Norman T, Watson A, George P, Devlin G, Du Toit S, Than M. A prospective multi-centre study assessing the safety and effectiveness following the implementation of an accelerated chest pain pathway using point-of-care troponin for use in New Zealand rural hospital and primary care settings. Eur Heart J Acute Cardiovasc Care. 2022 Apr 4:zuac037. doi: 10.1093/ehjacc/zuac037. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35373255.
Dr Branko Sijnja named as 2022 recipient of Peter Snow Memorial Award
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