‘Mum’s story will continue to make a difference’

When Associate Professor Joel Rhee created the Rhee Family Award, his hope was simple.
 
‘If this award helps even one researcher improve care for older people, then Mum’s story will continue to make a difference,’ he said.
 
For Associate Professor Rhee, who is Chair of RACGP Specific Interests Cancer and Palliative Care, his mother’s death gave him a highly personal insight into Australia’s aged care system, and it made him want to give something back.
 
After his mother passed away, having been living with multiple system atrophy, he approached the RACGP Foundation to fund an award that would support practical, system-level research led by GPs.
 
Associate Professor Rhee went on to establish the Rhee Family Award as a way to honour his mother’s resilience and the care she received, while giving back to the profession that supported her.
 
The award recognises research with strong potential to improve how general practice supports older people, whether through better frailty screening, more effective models of care, improved communication, or innovations that strengthen GP involvement in residential aged care.
 
Speaking about the origins of the award, Associate Professor Rhee reflected on the difficult years leading up to his mother’s passing, made even harder by the isolation and disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
‘Mum led a tough life. Her last years were especially challenging,’ he said.
 
‘During the pandemic she lost a lot of social contact, and our family could only support her virtually at times.
 
‘It was a difficult period for her and for all of us.’
 
While the family initially considered supporting research into multiple system atrophy specifically, the experience of navigating aged care shifted their focus.
 
Associate Professor Rhee’s mother had benefitted from care from her GP and many dedicated staff in her aged care home, yet the journey also revealed gaps and pressures within the system.
 
‘Mum received wonderful care from her GP, and we also saw the daily challenges faced by aged care staff,’ he said.
 
‘Some care was excellent, some less so, which is the reality of a stretched system.
 
‘It made us think about how research could strengthen overall models of care, not just care for one condition.
 
‘We wanted to support work that could help many older adults, not only those with a rare disease.’
 
Now in its third year, the Rhee Family Award is presented annually at the RACGP conference awards.
 
The Award’s 2025 recipient was Professor Claire Jackson, who was recognised for her research on frailty screening and management for older Australians in general practice.
 
Previous winners include Dr Jordan Crawford for work on how Australian GPs experience end-of-life care delivery in residential aged care, and Associate Professor Anthea Dallas for a presentation on connecting students and primary healthcare providers to improve the quality of care in residential aged care facilities in Tasmania.
 
The Australian General Practice Research Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the RACGP, supporting GP-led research that strengthens primary care.
 
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