Building Rural Health Research Capacity Through Embedded Researchers and Ecosystem Development

AIM: To explore the role and impact of University Department of Rural Health (UDRH) targeted investment in embedded researchers and research-practice partnerships as mechanisms to increase research capacity in rural health and community services. CONTEXT: Increasing rural research capacity and culture is crucial for improving rural health outcomes and a key deliverable for UDRHs. Rural health services often lack research capacity due to multiple factors including chronic workforce shortages, limited research infrastructure and resources, fewer academic partnerships and historical underinvestment in rural health research. APPROACH: This commentary describes the development of an ecosystem of embedded researchers and research-practice partnerships in rural western Victoria. Three case studies provide examples of embedded researcher models that are supported by a UDRH, and the role of an Australian academic health science centre focusing on rural health outcomes, as an enabler of impact. These case studies are based on the perspectives of senior academics, leaders and embedded researchers, and their first-hand knowledge of Deakin Rural Health (a UDRH), rural health organisations and the rural research context. These case studies focus on the broader impacts of embedded researchers and their contribution to a research ecosystem. CONCLUSION: UDRH academic leadership and targeted investment in embedded researchers, combined with support from rural health and community services, has created a research ecosystem. There has been synergistic growth in research capacity, output and research culture that exceeds what either UDRH or partner organisations could achieve independently. Despite this success, sustaining this ecosystem is challenging; there is a need to invest in embedded researchers and ensure an enabling environment for rural health services research through changes to policy and organisational culture.