Academic Unit of General Practice
Academic Unit of General Practice within SMP, the AUGP connects policy and general practice with research and education to improve primary care.
About
The Academic Unit of General Practice (AUGP) is a collaborative academic unit within the ANU School of Medicine and Psychology, supported by funding from the ACT Health and Community Services Directorate and Capital Health Network.
The AUGP focus is supporting our GP Workforce to deliver excellent patient care. We look at this issue broadly, from medical school teaching, through prevocational and registrar training to the central place GPs play in the healthcare system.
We oversee curriculum development, teaching and clinical placements in General Practice in the MChD program of the School of Medicine and Psychology.
Our mission is to support and strengthen general practice through excellence in teaching, research, and community engagement, in partnership with government and the general practice community.
Contact us
General enquiries
A/Prof. Stephen Martin (Head of General Practice, SMP)
Current research
The Academic Unit of General Practice is a leading centre for primary care research.
Our work is grounded in strong, collaborative partnerships with clinicians, policymakers, and national and international research networks. Together, we generate evidence that informs health policy, enhances patient care, and strengthens the future of general practice.
Our researchers possess a breadth of expertise; nevertheless, our research is principally directed toward:
- Transforming workforce development and fostering professional excellence in general practice for future-ready healthcare
- Innovating chronic disease management strategies to enhance outcomes within evolving primary care environments
- Championing holistic child health initiatives through progressive primary care services
- Pioneering improvements in health equity and outcomes for vulnerable populations, anticipating emerging societal challenges
Our current projects
- Exploring the factors that influence prevocational doctors to choose General Practice as their specialty training program (Education Research Grant - RACGP)
Dr Chris Dickie, Prof Katrina Anderson, Dr Katelyn Barnes, Dr Melanie Dorrington, Prof Sally Hall Dykgraaf, Dr Nadiah Halimi, A/Prof Stephen Martin, Dr Ashvini Munindradasa, Dr Kathleen O'Brien Developing evidence-informed education modules to support safe and high-quality telehealth consultations in general practice (Education Research Grant - RACGP)
Dr. Katelyn Barnes, Dr. Stephen Martin, Ms Petya Fitzpatrick, Dr. Ashvini Munindradasa, Prof. Katrina Anderson, Prof. Kirsty Douglas, Prof. Sally Hall-Dykgraaf, Dr. Komal Jaiswal, Dr. Danielle ButlerTelehealth Professional Development – Guided Workshops – Telehealth education modules (free resources developed by AUGP through an RACGP Education Research Grant, to improve telehealth consultations in general practice)
- Factors that influence medical students’ decisions to pursue careers in General Practice
(SMP Seed Fund Grant)
Dr Ashvini Munindradasa, Dr Kathleen O’Brien, Dr Stephen Martin, Daniel Mogg, Philippa Gately, A/ Prof Tomoko Sugiura, A/ Prof Megan Cahill, Prof Sally Hall Dykgraaf, Prof Kirsty Douglas - Transitions in medicine - what factors were instrumental in doctors choosing a career in General Practice?
Dr. Daniel Mogg, Dr. Ashvini Munindradasa, Prof. Katrina Anderson - Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Australia - an update (FMCER Grant - RACGP)
Dr Kathleen O'Brien
Academic registrars
Each year, the Academic Unit of General Practice offers positions to GP registrars to develop research, medical education and critical thinking skills during a part-time, 12-month academic training term, completed alongside clinical training.
For further information or to discuss a project, please contact us at augp@anu.edu.au
Previous academic registrar projects
2024: Dr Chris Dickie - Understanding how General Practitioners achieve positions as leaders in supraclinical advocacy.
2024: Dr Kevin Tee - Nudging patients towards better health outcomes. Can behavioural economics enhance General Practitioner skills in empowering patients to improve medication adherence?
2023: Dr Daniel Mogg - The Experiences of General Practitioners Discussing “Low-Carb” Diets with Patients and Peers: A Qualitative Study
2022: Dr Matt Smith - Understanding the implementation and effectiveness of regular/annual health checks in prevention and early detection of chronic diseases among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia: A realist review
2021: Dr Seren Ovington - The Impact of the COVID 19 Pandemic on General Practitioners: A Qualitative Study
2018: Dr Melinda Choy - Narrative review: Digital health tools in vulnerable populations: a narrative review of the patient experience
2018: Dr Lewis Ryan - The effect of models of primary care on the quality of referrals to specialists
2017: Dr Stephen Martin – The Medical School experience: How does it affect attitudes towards nutrition care?
2017: Dr Kathleen O’Brien – Physical inactivity: Physical & mental health in ACT Kindergarten children
2017: Dr Bosco Wu – The experiences of doctors-in-training on patient care and empathy
2016: Dr Kate Reid – Comparison of health service attendance by asylum seekers and refugees with permanent visas in the ACT, 2011-2013
2015: Dr Freya Ashman – Managing adult obesity in general practice: A Pilot study of the Change Program
2015: Dr Niral Shah - Registrar educational needs for practice management and ownership
Education
The AUGP oversees general practice placements and education within the ANU Doctor of Medicine and Surgery (MChD) program, supported by staff and funding from the ACT Health and Community Services Directorate.
AUGP academics coordinate the Integrated Child and Community Health semester, including curriculum development, organising clinical placements for students, and assessment
The AUGP supports a network of teaching practices in the ACT and surrounding regions. These clinics host medical students and junior doctors for training. We provide training and resources to these supervisors.
The AUGP runs 'The Healer's Art', a 15 hour elective for first year students focusing on humanism in medicine.
We teach into areas like Population health and Professionalism & Leadership, ensuring primary care perspectives are included across the curriculum.
- General Practice and Community - general information about GP teaching in the MChD program
- Get involved in GP teaching - link for health professionals who would like to become GP teachers
AUGP partners
- ACT Health – Office of GP and Primary Care – OGPPC Information (ACT Government site detailing health system programs in general practice – our partner office)
- Capital Health Network (ACT PHN) – GP Workforce Programs (learn about local primary care workforce initiatives, some run in partnership with AUGP)
Publications
- Barnes K et al. A novel methodological approach to participant engagement and policy relevance for community-based primary medical care research during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia and New Zealand. Health Res Policy Syst 2024.
- Barnes K et al. Low agreement among patients and clinicians about urgency and safety to wait for assessment in primary care after hours medical care: results of cross-sectional matched surveys. BMC Health Serv Res 2023.
- Butler DC et al. Uptake of video telehealth in general practice: an Australian whole-of-population analysis. BJGP Open 2025.
- Choy MA et al. Evaluating the digital health experience for patients in primary care: mixed methods study. J Med Internet Res 2024.
- Clement T et al. Providing quality improvement workplace-based professional development to Australian general practice clinical educators: findings from a feasibility study. Prof Devel Educ 2024.
- Crotty B et al. National Framework for Prevocational Medical Training. Med J Aust 2025.
- Dick ML et al. A systematic review of the approaches to multi-level learning in the general practice setting: a narrative systematic review adopting a realist synthesis approach. Best Evidence Medical Education (BEME). BEME guide no 15 April 2019.
- Jaiswal C et al. A self report of the Healers Art by junior doctors; does the course have a lasting influence on personal experience of humanism, self-nurturing skills and medical counterculture? BMC Med Educ 2019.
- Looi JCL et al. Stopping antidepressants or not? Aust J Gen Pract 2025.
- Martin S et al. Hidden curriculum within nutrition education in medical schools. BMJ Nutr Prev Health 2020.
- Munindradasa A, Douglas K. The difference the system makes. Aust J Gen Pract 2025.
- O’Brien K et al. COVID-19 vaccinations and counselling—a mixed-methods survey of Australian general practice in July 2021. Aust J Prim Health 2022.
- O’Brien K et al. Risk of behavioural and developmental difficulties in early childhood in the Australian Capital Territory. Child Care Health Dev 2024.
- O’Brien K et al. Screen time among kindergarten children in the Australian Capital Territory (including a comparison of First Nations and non-Indigenous children). BMC Public Health 2025.
- Ovington S et al. Reflections of Australian general practitioners during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study. Aust J Prim Health 2023.
- Sturgiss E et al. Obesity management in primary care: systematic review exploring the influence of therapeutic alliance. Fam Pract 2021.
- Yadav UN et al. What influences the implementation of health checks in the prevention and early detection of chronic diseases among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australian primary health care? Findings from an evidence mapping review. Health Res Policy Syst 2025.
Members
Leader
Head, General Practice, School of Medicine and Psychology
Associate Professor and Bill Nicholes Chair, ANU School of Medicine and Psychology
General Practice Physician
Member
Director of GP Education, Academic Unit of General Practice, ACT Health Directorate
Clinical Professor, ANU School of Medicine and Psychology (SMP)
Member, Canberra Region Medical Education Council
Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy
Academic Unit of General Practice, ACT Health Directorate
Honorary Senior Lecturer, ANU School of Medicine and Psychology
General Practioner
Honorary Lecturer, School of Medicine and Psychology and Rural Clinical School
General Practitioner Physician
Lecturer in General Practice, School of Medicine and Psychology (part-time)
General Practitioner
Lecturer in General Practice, ANU School of Medicine and Psychology (part-time)
Senior Lecturer in General Practice, ANU School of Medicine and Psychology
Location
Building 4 Level 2, The Canberra Hospital, Yamba Drive, Garran ACT 2603