RACGP announces largest academic post cohort to date

From medical students’ perspectives on choosing a GP career, to trends among registrars prescribing GLP-1 receptor agonists for weight loss, the 2026 Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) Academic Post Program is on track to produce a range of innovative research projects relevant to the current general practice landscape.
 
The RACGP has announced the program’s cohort for next year – the largest group ever with 27 registrars receiving posts across 15 universities.
 
A 12-month, 0.5 full-time equivalent training term offered to AGPT registrars, the program supports them to develop research, medical education and critical thinking skills alongside their clinical training. 
 
Each registrar partners with a university to develop and complete a research project in an area of general practice and teach medical students, while receiving mentoring and support from medical educators, university supervisors and the RACGP.
 
From a minimum of 20 academic posts available each year, chosen research projects cover a diversity of clinical and professional topics emerging in general practice.
 
One of those projects is underway for GP in training Dr Declan Twigg, with his project, ‘Medical student perspectives on a career in general practice with a focus on GPs with specific interests’.
 
Using a Medical Journal of Australia article suggesting that people choose their eventual career in medical school or postgraduate Year 1, Dr Twigg links it with UK data suggesting that medical students’ lack of familiarity with the breadth and depth of a primary care career ‘adversely affects their decision to consider it as a career’.
 
‘I’d been planning on entering a career in primary care since my first year of medical school, and am passionate about how excellent this career can be,’ he told newsGP.
 
‘I want to investigate medical student perspectives in our Australian context to help determine if a more accurate picture of the possible breadth and depth of a GP career – with a focus on GPs with specific interests – may inspire more students to consider primary care as an option for themselves.’
 
Recent research published reveals the Australian universities producing the most GPs and what is influencing medical students’ decisions to choose general practice.
 
From the moment he heard about the Academic Post Program, Dr Twigg felt it would be ‘a great fit’ for both his personality and skillset.
 
‘I’ve always loved learning new things and teaching others, and the academic post presented such a wonderful opportunity to devote a whole year to both those things under the supervision of experienced GP academics,’ he said.
 
‘I knew before starting GP training that I’d like to diversify what I did during the week, and the post offered an excellent chance to branch out and learn new skills.
 
‘I was also motivated by the encouragement of GP mentors who first suggested the idea to me, and helped confirm my suitability for the post.’
 
Currently working in Sydney’s north-west in his second term of GP training, Dr Twigg is keen to work as a part-time clinician and continue in GP academia, particularly in medical education for the longer term – which he intends to use his experience on the Academic Post Program for.
 
While ‘definitely looking forward’ to the research component as part of his post when it commences next year, and contributing to the discourse surrounding GP careers, what he is most looking forward to is the teaching roles.
 
‘I’ve always enjoyed teaching medical students and near-peers,’ he said.
 
‘And am excited to have a job which not only will saturate me with teaching opportunities, but will also offer me academic guidance, training and feedback along the way in a supportive environment.’
 
For second year GP in training, Dr Kimarnie Baskerville, it was clinical research on a rapidly evolving topic that piqued her interest.
 
Her project, ‘Trends in the prescription of GLP-1 receptor agonists by GP registrars for weight loss: A longitudinal analysis within the Registrar Clinical Encounters in Training (ReCEnT) study’ looks at an emerging topic of prevalence in general practice.
 
‘This topic is something that wasn’t prevalent throughout my medical degree or hospital training, however, is in high demand as a GP,’ Dr Baskerville told newsGP.
 
‘We all know these medications are very common, but because they aren’t PBS listed for weight loss, there isn’t a great deal of data on prescription rates for this indication.
 
‘We know there are many health benefits from using these medications for weight loss in certain individuals, however there is a significant social equity issue present, as the monthly medication cost is between $300–900.’
 
Currently in her second term of GP training at Warabrook Doctors in Newcastle, Dr Baskerville enjoyed undertaking research and teaching in her undergraduate degree, so was motivated to apply for the Academic Post Program to further this experience.
 
‘Teaching others is the best way for me to consolidate and improve my own knowledge, which is helpful when studying for Fellowship exams and for lifelong learning as a GP,’ she said.
 
‘I’m really looking forward to the variety in my work week, which will be a mix of part-time GP consulting, education, research, and teaching medical students.
 
‘I am excited to experience medical school from a teaching perspective and build connections with the university academic staff.’
 
Included in the academic posts available each year are three specialised posts; the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association post, the PhD post and the Australian Journal of General Practice post.
 
The full list of 2026 recipients and their research project titles are available on the RACGP website.
 
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