Rate My Professor Sarah Larkins

Professor Sarah Larkins is an academic general practitioner and Professor of Health Systems Strengthening in the College of Medicine and Dentistry at James Cook University. She holds a PhD (2008), MPH&TM (2000), MBBS (Dean's Honour List, 2003), and BMedSci (1989, University of Melbourne). Her career at James Cook University includes roles as Dean of the College of Medicine and Dentistry (from 2021), Associate Dean for Research (2014-2019), Director of Research and Postgraduate Education in the School of Medicine and Dentistry (2012-2014), Associate Professor (2011-2015), and Senior Lecturer (2008-2010). Prior to and alongside academic positions, she worked as a General Practitioner at Gidgee Healing (2019-2021), Health and Wellbeing North Ward (2007-2019), and Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Services (1998-2007). She has served in leadership roles such as Director of Research Development at James Cook University (2020-2022) and currently holds positions including member of the NHMRC Research Committee (2022-2024), Co-Director of the Anton Breinl Research Centre for Health Systems Strengthening, and Convenor of the Clinical Leadership Group for the Tropical Australian Academic Health Centre.

Sarah Larkins specializes in health systems strengthening, with expertise in health services and workforce research, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, socially accountable health professional education, rural health workforce, primary health care, and maternal and child health. She has authored over 170 peer-reviewed journal articles and several book chapters, achieving an h-index of 35 and more than 4100 citations. Key publications include 'Does use of GP and specialist services vary across areas and according to individual socioeconomic position? A multilevel analysis using linked data in Australia' (2024), 'Association of individual-socioeconomic variation in quality-of-primary care with area-level service organisation' (2023), 'Mission and role modelling in producing a fit-for-purpose rural health workforce' (2023), and 'Exploring the evidence base for Communities of Practice in health research and translation' (2023). Her research has secured over $97 million in grant funding, including seven current NHMRC/MRFF grants. She supervises 14 higher degree research students and has overseen 21 PhD completions. Awards include Highly Commended Research Australia Health Services Researcher of the Year (2022), Office of Learning and Teaching National Program Award (2013), and Royal Australian College of General Practitioners National Registrar Research Prize (2003). Past roles encompass co-chair of the Primary and Chronic Care Panel for National Living Evidence Guidelines for COVID-19 and member of WHO Technical Working Group on Health Workforce Education Assessment Tools.