This project was funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing and John T Reid Charitable Trusts.

Educators
Janine Roberts
Iain Packer

Education methodology and design
Professor Lynn Robinson is Director of Education Innovation in the Centre for Health Innovations and Solutions, The University of Queensland.

Significant contributor and audience representative
Dr Natalie Burch (GP)
Dr Natalie Burch (B.Sc., M.B.B.S., DRANZCOG, FRACGP) works as a rural general practitioner in Scottsdale, Tasmania. Her special interests in medicine include mental health, family planning and low risk obstetrics, minor surgery and emergencies.

Content contributors
Dr Richard Smith
Dr Richard Mark Smith is the Medical Director of the Toorak Medical Centre (TMC) and an active General Practitioner. The TMC provides comprehensive primary care to a cosmopolitan inner-suburban demographic of Melbourne, with a busy clinic and services to homes and residential facilities over a 25km² area. He graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1978 and subsequently obtained the Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practioners, the Fellowship of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine and the Diploma of the Royal Australian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. He has sub-specialty training in Psychiatry and is affiliated with the GPMHSC and Global Mind Screen programs. More recently he has commenced his Master of Medicine studies at the University of Queensland. He has been active in the GP division in the areas of information technology and workforce. From 1982 to 2002, he developed a very successful 12 doctor practice in Beechworth and Chiltern, in North-East Victoria. He held VMO appointments in acute care, extended care, rehabilitation, aged care and psychiatric care and was involved in undergraduate and post-graduate teaching for the University of Melbourne, Monash University and the University of NSW. His other interests include information technology, e-commerce and professional development programs with MedEServ. He has a specific interest in rural locum and medical personnel issues with involvement at divisional and state level with recruitment, assessment, deployment and support for more than a decade. He assisted in the development of GP accreditation and is a trained surveyor. His extensive experience, credibility and knowledge of the medical profession, coupled to a comprehensive understanding of rural and metropolitan general practice provides a strong foundation in his area of administrative responsibility, namely for quality assurance in clinical care and business administration.
Dr Linda Clow
Linda Clow is a rural GP/obstetrician in Scottsdale, Tasmania. After completing a compulsory 'rural term' for GP training she was attracted to the opportunity to practice obstetrics and true 'cradle to grave' medicine in a small community. Linda feels privileged to have become part of the community and loves working with and spending the day consulting 'friends'.

References
[1] Vindigni D, Griffen D, Perkins J, Da Costa C, Parkinson L. Prevalence of musculoskeletal conditions, associated pain and disability and the barriers to managing these conditions in a rural, Australian Aboriginal community. Rural and Remote Health 4 (online) 2004:230. Viewed on 16/02/2009, at: http://www.rrh.org.au/articles/showarticlenew.asp?ArticleID=230
[2] Anderson K, Devitt J, Cunningham J, Preece C, Cass A. 'All they said was my kidneys were dead': Indigenous Australian patients’ understanding of their chronic kidney disease. MJA 2008;189(9):499-503.