Rural Health Research Team
A/Prof Janani Pinidiyapathirage
Janani Pinidiyapathirage is an Associate Professor and Research Lead of the Griffith University Rural Program. She is an accomplished research leader capable of building multidisciplinary teams to promote rural health and education. She has a clinical background as a public health physician and rural health research experience across a broad range of topics including prevention of skin cancer among rural Australians to exploring chronic disease risk factors in rural populations in Sri Lanka. Her current research focuses on chronic disease prevention and management in rural populations and finding effective solutions to rural workforce issues.  Â
Dr William MacAskill
William MacAskill lives in a rural Queensland town and has lived-experience as a rural health consumer. Based at the clinical training facility at Dalby Hospital, William acts as a liaison between the community and the academia to identify and address health disparities in rural communities. William is committed to ensuring that rural research benefits rural communities and is currently leading the design of several research projects aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of rural Australians. Â Â
A/Prof Brendan Carrigan
Brendan Carrigan is an Associate Professor and Medical Lead of the Year 3 Longlook program. He was elected as the Queensland Representative to the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine council in 2020 and serves as the current Council Chair. He has held other significant roles representing the rural health sector including membership of the Prevocational Medical Accreditation Queensland Accreditation Committee, National Clinical Evidence Taskforce Guideline Leadership Group and Living Evidence in Australian Pregnancy and Postnatal Care Steering Committee. Brendan has broad research interests across rural medical education and clinical care.
Adjunct A/Prof Megan O’Shannessy
Megan O’Shannessy is the Chief Executive Officer of Rural Medical Education Australia and an Adjunct Associate Professor of the Griffith University School of Medicine and Dentistry Rural Clinical School. She holds Master of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and Bachelor of Nursing degrees and is a registered nurse and midwife.  Megan has over 25 years clinical and leadership experience in rural health as Director of Nursing of Thargomindah (1990–1992), Dirranbandi (1992–1995), St George (1995–2001) and Warwick (2001–2013) Hospitals. She was the District Manager of Southern Downs Health Service District from 2007-2008. Her research interests are focussed on the rural workforce.
