Hello from the RACGP Foundation & Research team. 

We welcome you to our final edition of GP Research News for 2024 – and the last edition brought to you by the RACGP Foundation! Exciting changes are ahead, including a dedicated Foundation newsletter launching in 2025. Be the first to hear about Foundation-funded research breakthroughs, upcoming events, and new ways to get involved by subscribing to the new newsletter! Simply email your details to foundation@racgp.org.au to stay connected with all the latest from the Foundation.
 
We’ve had an exciting 2024 as the RACGP continues to advocate for increased funding and support for GP research and academic career pathways. This year, we developed the RACGP Research Strategy, outlining a vision for sustained support in GP-led research and academic growth. We appreciate all the valuable feedback we received during the consultation process, and look forward to launching the new strategy in 2025.
 
With GP24 just around the corner, we look forward to connecting with many of you in person. Our team will be delivering our annual Research Breakfast on Friday 22 November, and the RACGP Education Research Unit will be hosting an informal networking lunch later that day during the conference lunch time. We are also excited to present our 2024 Foundation Awards during morning tea starting at 10-10.30 am on Saturday, 23 November, which will include our annual conference awards. We look forward to seeing you there!

Lastly, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the current RACGP Expert Committee – Research for their significant contributions to advancing general practice research and supporting the Foundation's work. The new committee will be announced in early 2025.
 

We’re thrilled to announce that the RACGP Foundation will be relaunched at GP24 later this month under its new name: the Australian General Practice Research Foundation. This change reflects our commitment to supporting general practice research that benefits all Australians, not just the RACGP community. By aligning our name with our mission, we aim to ensure continued support for innovative research that directly impacts the heart of Australian healthcare.
 
To guide the Foundation’s growth and impact in this next chapter, the RACGP Board has established a diverse and expert Foundation Committee, bringing together substantial expertise across fundraising, philanthropy, research, and clinical practice. Stay tuned as we introduce the Committee in early 2025!
 
As we transition to the Australian General Practice Research Foundation, we look forward to working together to advance impactful general practice research for a healthier Australia. Thank you for your continued support.

Nearly $660,000 in funding was awarded to general practice researchers through our 2024 RACGP Foundation Research Grants & Awards round. Click here to read the official announcement in newsGP, including the full list of grant recipients.
 
These grants and awards, funded by donations and partnerships with the nib foundation, HCF Research Foundation, Therapeutic Guidelines, Diabetes Australia, BOQ Specialist, and RACGP’s Western Australia faculty, aim to bridge the gap in national medical research funding, which currently allocates less than 2% to general practice.  
 
Congratulations to the exceptional researchers and teams awarded funding this year. For those unable to attend the Foundation Awards Ceremony at GP24, awards were presented in advance at faculty-based events. We look forward to celebrating the remaining awardees at the Foundation Awards Ceremony.

Education Research Grants

The application process for the 2025 Education Research Grants is now complete. Applicants will be notified of the outcome by 31 October. Details of the 2025 awardees will be posted at Education Research Grant program. 
 
The 2024 projects are progressing well, and we will be hosting a seminar for our 24-month Education Research Grant project teams on 1 November in Melbourne. These project teams will have the opportunity to share their progress and network midway through their research duration. We also look forward to supporting the 12-month ERG project teams to attend GP24 at the end of November in Perth. We will be combining conference attendance with a full day face-to-face workshop that will take place before the conference. This will be their final workshop, where members of the project team will present their research findings and dissemination plans.  
 
The 2023 Education Research Grant projects presented their research findings at the RACGP Dissemination webinar series on 23 and 30 August. Their final research reports are available at ERG past recipient page, or by contacting Merci Ikeda at gpedresearch@racgp.org.au.      
 
The Education Research Unit called for nominations of education research priorities from both internal and external sector stakeholders, to be used for the 2026 Education Research Grants. The assessment process is currently underway, and outcomes will be made available in early 2025. 

PhD Pathways News

The RACGP Foundation is pleased to offer two PhD top-up scholarships for GPs and GP trainees starting PhD research in 2025. Each scholarship provides $25,000 per year for up to 3.5 years (or pro-rata for part-time), plus $5,000 annually for development and research translation.
 
Applications opened on 2 September and close at 5:00 PM AEDT on 1 November.
 
For more information and to apply, visit the RACGP Foundation’s PhD Scholarships page

Applications for the 2025 Academic Posts have closed. Outcomes for the first round have already been announced and are available here. Universities have been contacted regarding funding agreements and budgets for these registrars. Outcomes for the second round will be announced in early November 2024.
 
Research and supervision opportunities have been published on the  Academic Post Program webpage so that future registrars can easily connect with a university to prepare their academic post application. Universities are encouraged to contact us with any updates to their pages via gpedresearch@racgp.org.au. We will reach out before the opening of the 2026 round to ensure this information is up to date.
 
The 2024 cohort met in Paramatta, NSW in August for their second Academic Post workshop, and the AAAPC annual research conference at Western Sydney University. The workshop was a great opportunity for registrars to present their work to their peers and obtain feedback, learn more about how to navigate issues in teaching and qualitative and quantitative data analysis methods and programs. 2024 Academic Post recipient Dr Joanne Wong from UWA received the CSIRO/Australian Journal of Primary Health Best Oral Paper Award for her presentation “Emotional care for those experiencing miscarriage: developing a patient centred guide for health care professionals”. The 2024 cohort will also be attending GP24 in Perth in November.
 
The first Academic Post AJGP abstract supplement, showcasing research project abstracts from the 2023 program is now available here.  We are hoping to continue this initiative in 2025 with abstracts from the 2024 cohort.

The RACGP has launched the 10th edition of the “Red Book,” its Guidelines for Preventive Activities in General Practice.

The Red Book offers clear, evidence-based recommendations for screening, case finding, and preventive activities in primary care. It covers both primary prevention (stopping the onset of conditions) and secondary prevention (early detection and intervention).

This edition adopts the GRADE approach (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation), aligning with global guidelines. Recommendations are organized for quick access, enabling GPs to easily reference best practice advice across a variety of conditions.

New topics in this edition include developmental delay and autism, child and elder abuse, anxiety, gambling, sleep disorders, eating disorders, women's health (preventive care during and after pregnancy), and post-menopause care.

The Lifecycle chart helps identify age-appropriate preventive activities for patients.

The Red Book connects evidence to practice. We are delighted that several Foundation-funded projects are cited in the latest edition, including studies by 2016 TGL/RACGP Foundation Research Grant recipient Prof Michelle Guppy and 2015 FMCER Grant recipient Dr Michael Tam. If your research has implications for the Red Book, we would love to hear from you.

For any queries or comments on the Red Book, contact qualitycare@racgp.org.au.

• 1 Nov – Applications for the RACGP Foundation PhD Scholarships close
• 22 Nov – Research Breakfast 7:30 – 8:30am (GP24)
• 22 Nov – Education Research Unit networking lunch 1:10 pm - 2:00 pm (GP24)
• 23 Nov – Foundation Awards Ceremony 10:00 am to 10:30 am (GP24)