ProfessorVincent Versace

Professor Vincent Versace, PhD, BESc, BSc. Vincent is the Director of Deakin Rural Health (DRH), a University Department of Rural Health (UDRH) funded through the Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training (RHMT) program. The overarching purpose of this program is to improve rural health outcomes by reducing workforce maldistribution of medical, nursing and allied health professionals in rural Australia. The role also involves developing the researcher capacity and capability of health services within western Victoria and the Grampians region.

Vincent completed all his undergraduate study and post-graduate training in Warrnambool and has since forged his academic career exclusively in rural Australia. Since becoming Director of DRH in 2017, he has actively fostered a culture of ‘grow your own’ and has worked closely with the Western Alliance (as Principal Research Translation Investigator) and a number of health services to develop the local research ecosystem. Complementary to the belief that rural communities should have access to a vibrant clinical academic network is a commitment to research excellence reflected in his grant funding record.

Recently Vincent has focused on access to essential services which led to the establishment of the Centre for Australian Research into Access (Home – CARA), he is a founding Co-Director). CARA has undertaken work for the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Aged Care, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics, as well as local projects focussed on health service access and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.