When people in Emerald need specialist, allied health or complex medical care, Associate Professor Ewen McPhee AM believes the first question should be how it can be provided locally.
That approach has helped transform Emerald Medical Group from a general practice into a multidisciplinary health and training hub serving Queensland’s Central Highlands.
It has also earned A/Prof McPhee the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) 2026 Outstanding Contribution to Rural Practice Management Award.
He was formally presented with the award at the Rural Medicine Australia 2026 conference in Tarndanya (Adelaide) from 21–24 October.
A Rural Generalist Obstetrician and Practice Principal, A/Prof McPhee has served the Emerald community since the early 1990s. His career has combined broad clinical practice with practice development, medical education and national rural health advocacy.
Under his leadership, Emerald Medical Group has expanded access to visiting specialists, allied health, diagnostic services and community health education. Its services include physiotherapy, psychology, cardiology, audiology, dietetics, occupational therapy and speech pathology.
The practice is also developing a $2.8 million allied health and training facility with 10 consulting rooms and dedicated clinical education space, supporting patients with chronic and complex conditions, older people and children requiring developmental care.
ACRRM President Dr Rod Martin says A/Prof McPhee has consistently turned advocacy into practical solutions.
“Ewen has spent decades calling for better rural, remote and First Nations healthcare, but he has also done the difficult work of building it,” Dr Martin says.
“He has developed a practice that brings more services closer to home, supports multidisciplinary care and makes training the next generation part of everyday business.
“This award recognises not only an outstanding practice, but a model of locally led healthcare shaped around the needs of its community.”
Emerald Medical Group supports Rural Generalist registrars, interns, medical and nursing students. A/Prof McPhee is an experienced supervisor and medical educator and an Associate Professor with the University of Queensland.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he was the clinical lead for Australia’s first rural GP-led respiratory clinic, established in Emerald to protect local patients and health services.
His influence extends nationally. He is a former President of both ACRRM and the Rural Doctors Association of Australia and has held senior roles in rural workforce planning, telehealth and digital health. In 2022, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to general medicine and health administration.
A/Prof McPhee says strong rural practices grow by responding to their communities.
“Rural healthcare works best when it is designed locally, brings the right people together and gives patients access to as much care as possible close to home,” he says.
“A sustainable practice must also invest in its future by creating a place where students and trainees can learn, contribute and imagine building their own careers in rural medicine.”