Associate Professor Joel Rhee
BSc(Med) MBBS(Hons 1) GCULT PhD, FRACGP
About me:
I am the Head of Discipline of General Practice at the School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney.
I am a highly motivated teacher, researcher and clinician with a passion for improving the delivery of care by primary health care professionals to people who are most in need, especially people with palliative and supportive care needs, older adults, including people living in residential aged care homes, and people with advanced and chronic conditions especially cancer. I am interested in collaborative research and supervising higher research degree students, including MRes and PhD.
Memberships of professional societies, organisations, and committees:
- RACGP (Chair - Cancer and Palliative Care Network; Expert Committee - Research, Deputy Chair - National Research and Evaluation Ethics Committee (NREEC), Clinical Examiner, Fellow)
- Australian Journal of General Practice Editorial Advisory Committee
- Australasian Association for Academic Primary Care
- Primary Care Collaborative Cancer Clinical Trials Group (PC4) (Co-Chair, Living With and Beyond Cancer Engine Room; Member, Scientific Committee)
- Australian Medical Council (Deputy Chair - Medicine Writing Panel)
- Cancer Australia Intercollegiate Advisory Committee (RACGP representative)
- Cancer Council NSW Health Services Advisory Group
- Advance Care Planning Australia Steering Group
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
Since 2018, A/Prof Rhee been a CI on one NHMRC Ideas Grant and six MRFF grants, and as an AI on two MRFF grants for a total of A$11.18M. He is a CIA on a 2019 NUW Alliance (University of Newcastle/ UNSW/ University of Wollongong) grant for a data-linkage study examining disparities in outcomes in people with cancer living in rural and regional NSW and a 2022 RACGP/HCF foundation research grant to develop models of general practice care in people living in residential aged care homes.
2021 Primary Care Collaborative Cancer Clinical Trials Group (PC4) Geoff Mitchell Rising Star Award
2015 Australasian Association for Academic Primary Care Travel Fellowship – University of Edinburgh
2014 UNSW School of Public Health and Community Medicine Award for Best PhD Thesis
2013 UNSW Medicine Award for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning
2011 Alan Hodgkinson Prize for Excellence in Teaching (School of Public Health and Community Medicine)
2008 Australasian Association for Academic Primary Care Travel Fellowship – University of Queensland
2007 Alan Chancellor Award for Best First Time Presenter – RACGP National Conference
Research Interests:
Primary care research focusing on advance care decision-making and planning. Primary palliative care research on barriers to GP involvement in palliative care and end of life care planning. Research in early detection and cancer survivorship in general practice. Research to explore barriers and facilitators to high quality primary care for older adults living in Residential Aged Care Homes. Chronic disease management including alignment of goals of care, de-prescribing and de-referring. Medical education research including digital health. Clinical supervisor training and development using digital technologies.
Broad Research Areas:
Primary Health Care, Ageing, Cancer, Primary Palliative Care
My Teaching
Currently I am an acting Clinical Lead for the UNSW Medicine Program Redesign, and a general practice/primary care/longitudinal placements lead.Â
(Planned) Short courses and postgraduate coursework in primary aged care.