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Queensland Rural Generalist Associate Professor Brendan Carrigan has been named the recipient of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) 2026 Rural Health Research Award.
The national award recognises A/Prof Carrigan’s research into rural medical education, workforce development and healthcare quality, and his commitment to ensuring research produces practical benefits for rural patients and health services.
He was formally presented with the award at the Rural Medicine Australia 2026 conference in Tarndanya (Adelaide) from 21–24 October.
Based with Griffith University’s Rural Program and Rural Medical Education Australia in Toowoomba, A/Prof Carrigan leads research grounded in rural clinical practice and shaped by community needs.
ACRRM President Dr Rod Martin says his work challenges the idea that rural communities should simply receive research and healthcare solutions developed elsewhere.
“Brendan’s research starts in rural communities, responds to the questions rural clinicians and patients are asking, and produces evidence that improves local care,” Dr Martin says.
“He has helped build a culture in which rural health services are not only delivering care but also generating evidence, testing ideas and leading improvements.”
A/Prof Carrigan’s research has addressed rural workforce shortages, the sustainability of rural training and the need for evidence that reflects rural clinical settings.
His work into long-term rural medical placements examines the connections that help students become part of a community, engage in clinical practice and see a future for themselves in rural medicine. It has informed changes to Griffith University’s Longlook program, which places medical students in rural communities for extended periods.
His clinical research and student projects examine priorities including sepsis, stroke imaging, antimicrobial stewardship, bronchiolitis, antenatal mental health screening and women’s healthcare.
Findings have contributed to practical changes in local services, including the introduction of high-flow nasal oxygen, expanded telehealth support, improved antimicrobial stewardship and changes to induction-of-labour protocols.
A/Prof Carrigan has secured more than $500,000 in competitive rural education research funding and supervised 146 Doctor of Medicine students across 30 rural research projects.
“By supporting students and local clinicians to investigate issues within their own services, Brendan is helping rural communities develop solutions that reflect their circumstances and priorities,” Dr Martin says.
A/Prof Carrigan says rural clinicians and communities should be active partners in research.
“When we support rural clinicians and students to investigate local challenges, research becomes a practical tool for improving care rather than something that happens at a distance,” he says.
A/Prof Carrigan has also recently been reappointed as the Queensland representative on ACRRM College Council.
The ACRRM Rural Health Research Award recognises outstanding research that addresses critical rural and remote health issues and delivers meaningful benefits for rural communities.
All news
Queensland Rural Generalist Associate Professor Brendan Carrigan has been named the recipient of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) 2026 Rural Health Research Award.
The national award recognises A/Prof Carrigan’s research into rural medical education, workforce development and healthcare quality, and his commitment to ensuring research produces practical benefits for rural patients and health services.
He was formally presented with the award at the Rural Medicine Australia 2026 conference in Tarndanya (Adelaide) from 21–24 October.
Based with Griffith University’s Rural Program and Rural Medical Education Australia in Toowoomba, A/Prof Carrigan leads research grounded in rural clinical practice and shaped by community needs.
ACRRM President Dr Rod Martin says his work challenges the idea that rural communities should simply receive research and healthcare solutions developed elsewhere.
“Brendan’s research starts in rural communities, responds to the questions rural clinicians and patients are asking, and produces evidence that improves local care,” Dr Martin says.
“He has helped build a culture in which rural health services are not only delivering care but also generating evidence, testing ideas and leading improvements.”
A/Prof Carrigan’s research has addressed rural workforce shortages, the sustainability of rural training and the need for evidence that reflects rural clinical settings.
His work into long-term rural medical placements examines the connections that help students become part of a community, engage in clinical practice and see a future for themselves in rural medicine. It has informed changes to Griffith University’s Longlook program, which places medical students in rural communities for extended periods.
His clinical research and student projects examine priorities including sepsis, stroke imaging, antimicrobial stewardship, bronchiolitis, antenatal mental health screening and women’s healthcare.
Findings have contributed to practical changes in local services, including the introduction of high-flow nasal oxygen, expanded telehealth support, improved antimicrobial stewardship and changes to induction-of-labour protocols.
A/Prof Carrigan has secured more than $500,000 in competitive rural education research funding and supervised 146 Doctor of Medicine students across 30 rural research projects.
“By supporting students and local clinicians to investigate issues within their own services, Brendan is helping rural communities develop solutions that reflect their circumstances and priorities,” Dr Martin says.
A/Prof Carrigan says rural clinicians and communities should be active partners in research.
“When we support rural clinicians and students to investigate local challenges, research becomes a practical tool for improving care rather than something that happens at a distance,” he says.
A/Prof Carrigan has also recently been reappointed as the Queensland representative on ACRRM College Council.
The ACRRM Rural Health Research Award recognises outstanding research that addresses critical rural and remote health issues and delivers meaningful benefits for rural communities.