rESEARCH FELLOW, BUNBURRY
Dr. Emma Jamieson

Dr Emma Jamieson is a Future Health Research and Innovation Fund Translational Research Fellow based in the Southwest region. The predominant focus of her research is improving outcomes for people with diabetes; her PhD on screening for hyperglycaemia in pregnancy in rural and remote communities has led to implementation of improved screening pathways for pregnant women and a collaboration with the National Harmonisation Glucose Preanalytical Working Party. Prior to her time with RCSWA focus was on pancreatic islet biology and transplantation research at St Vincent’s Institute (Melbourne) and Harry Perkins Institute (Perth).

What I love about the RCSWA
I love working for the RCS because I get to see our research translated into practise. I love working with creative people - Necessity is the mother of invention and Australians living in rural and remote settings make the best innovators.

Research Associate, Broome
Prof. Julia Marley

Julia was RCSWA’s first dedicated research staff member and is now a Senior Principal Research Fellow. Julia has played a key role in establishing and maintaining sustainable academic research practice within RCSWA. She has developed a wide range of productive collaborative research projects with over 30 health services and other academic institutions. Instead of specialising in any one area, Julia has taken a life course approach, with her research spanning from preconception care to end-stage kidney disease. Including end-users as part of the team facilitates translation of research findings into changes at community and service levels and as well as at regional and national policy levels. In 2022 Julia was awarded the UWA Vice-Chancellor’s Collaborative Partnerships Research Award. 

What I love about the RCSWA
I love being able to work with diverse Aboriginal communities and health services on the health issues that they feel are most important, translating our research findings into policy and practice to contribute to improved health, and building a rurally based, broadly skilled health researcher workforce.

Research Fellow, Broome
Matt Lelievre

Matt Lelievre is a proud Nyikina man from Derby and its surrounding areas in the West Kimberley Region. His clinical background is in Exercise Physiology and Health Leadership and Management, with a primary focus on rural and remote Allied Health Services and Indigenous Health. He has gained significant experience in these fields, working to address the unique healthcare challenges in these communities.

What I love about the RCSWA
The people supports, the opportunity to work with my community and being able to work in the bush and still progress the same career as other metro colleagues.

Psychiatrist, Albany/Geraldton
Dr. Mathew Coleman

As a rural psychiatrist and clinical academic, Mat works for the WA Country Health Service and is the Clinical Director for Midwest Mental Health and Community Alcohol and Drug Services.

What I love about the RCSWA
I love working with dedicated rural and remote doctors who are mostly GPs.

Research Fellow, Albany
Terri Pikora

Terri encourages and supports student researchers and less experienced researchers to develop and conduct their rural research projects. Research into areas that are important to improve the health of rural and remote communities is one of her passions. With over 30 years as a researcher, Terri has conducted research and evaluation projects across a wide range of areas including, but not limited to:

What I love about the RCSWA
RCSWA has provided me with the opportunity to work with like-minded colleagues and students who are passionate about promoting and developing rural research.

Medical Coordinator, Kalgoorlie
Christine Jeffries-Stokes

Christine is a paediatrician who has been working in clinical practice and research in the Goldfields for more than 20 years. She has been part of the RCSWA since it was just an idea. She has a PhD and a Masters in Public Health. Along with senior Wongutha woman Annette Stokes, Christine is a Chief Investigator for the Western Desert Kidney Health Project (WDKHP), which has demonstrated new and innovative methods of community engagement. The WDKHP has drawn attention to environmental contaminants as a potentially significant contributor to chronic disease. She has a strong record of collaborative research with the Aboriginal community and has established strong community networks.

Senior Reseach Fellow, Broome
Emma Carlin

Emma is an early career researcher based in Broome. She has a strong interest in Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing and working with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) to improve wellbeing of Aboriginal people and communities. Emma leads the Wellbeing Informed Care- Kimberley project. This project aims to enhance social and emotional wellbeing and mental health care across the Kimberley Aboriginal Community Health Services. Emma is connected with the UWA School of Indigenous Studies through the Transforming Indigenous Mental Health Team led by Prof Pat Dudgeon. Emma is involved in evaluating the Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia’s Social Emotional Wellbeing Service model pilot project across five ACCHS and evaluating the Bigiswun SEWB Service in Fitzroy Crossing. Emma also works for the Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services one day a week as their senior research officer and is leading the development of the Kimberley alcohol and other drug regional plan. More information on Emma’s work and publications can be accessed here: https://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/persons/emma-carlin

What I love about the RCSWA
I am grateful for the opportunity provided through RCSWA to be embedded in an Aboriginal Community Controlled Heath Services, being outside of a ‘university’ and working alongside your partner services each day helps build rapport and ensure the relevance of our research to the services and communities we work with.

Associate Professor, Urban
Prof. Kirsty Freeman

Kirsty Freeman is an Associate Professor and the Academic Lead at the Rural Clinical School of Western Australia. With over 20 years of experience in healthcare education and qualitative research, Kirsty specialises in phenomenology to explore complex human experiences in healthcare education. She supervises Masters and PhD students, fostering the next generation of researchers in healthcare simulation and rural healthcare education.

A globally recognised leader in the field, Kirsty has made significant contributions to the dissemination of scholarly work. She serves as an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Healthcare Simulation (IJOHS) and is an active member of the scientific committee for the Society for Simulation in Europe (SESAM), where she helps shape the future of healthcare simulation research. Her dedication to advancing healthcare education is reflected in her numerous keynote presentations, publications, and her leadership in interprofessional training across medicine, nursing, allied health, and prehospital environments.

What I love about the RCSWA
I love working alongside passionate educators, researchers, and professional staff who are dedicated to building a strong, supportive community. Together, we are all committed to enhancing rural healthcare and creating rich learning experiences for our students, fostering a culture that prioritises both professional and personal growth.

Assoc. Prof, Bunbury
Bronwyn Peirce

Bronwyn is a teaching focused on Academic Emergency Physician based with research interests in rural medical education and training, end of life care and high value health care. She currently works as a Medical Educator with the Rural Clinical School of Western Australia and a Senior Staff Specialist in Emergency Medicine with WACHS. Since training and working in many Queensland hospitals, Bronwyn has been working her way anticlockwise around Australia. When she is not working she enjoys time with her family, good food, bushwalking, singing and yoga.

What I love about the RCSWA
RCSWA is my second family.