ANZAHPE ONLINE Professional Development Event
Disrupting Health Professional Education To Achieve an Equity-Orientated, Community-Literate and Sustainable Rural Health Workforce
Presenter: Professor Debra Jones
Date: Thursday 21st May 2026
Time: 1.00pm - 2.00pm (AEST)
Deb and colleagues have recently published the Anabranch Framework for the Ruralisation of Health Professional Education, a scholarly and disruptive approach designed to support the development of health professionals committed to health equity and social justice. The framework reimagines health professions education to better align the learning of students and practitioners with the needs and strengths of rural and remote communities.
The Anabranch Framework proposes new ways of conceptualising and designing clinical education, particularly rural and remote placements, to support transformative learning for students while strengthening community engagement and workforce outcomes.
This session will introduce the key principles of the Anabranch Framework and explore its potential implications for health professional education. Participants will be invited to reflect on how elements of the framework- including a scaffolded and spiralled curriculum, and the domains and constructs of the Anabranch model - may be integrated into rural education programs. Participants will be challenged to consider how these approaches may influence policy and curriculum development, student learning, program design, and partnerships with rural communities.
Reference for the paper if participants would like to familiarise themselves with it is Jones D, Hennessy A, Goldsworthy M, Hou XY, Thompson S, Dean H, Honda K, Minnis D, Noye C, Robinson T, Gleeson W, Smallwood R, Lord A, McCormack B, White D. The Anabranch Framework for the Ruralization of Health Professional Education. Healthcare (Basel). 2026 Feb 5;14(3):406. doi: 10.3390/healthcare14030406.
ABOUT OUR PRESENTER:
Professor Deb Jones is a Registered Nurse by background with over 30 years’ experience in rural and remote practice and senior management and leadership roles in local health authorities and the higher education sector. Deb completed her Generalist Nursing training in Broken Hill, far west NSW, before working in far north Queensland and the Northern Territory. Deb has a Graduate Diploma in Aged Services Management, a Masters of Indigenous Health and completed her PhD in 2017. Deb is currently the Head of Rural Clinical School with the Broken Hill University Department of Rural Health, The University of Sydney. Deb is committed to: the development of a rural-literate health workforce through innovations in education, training and practice; the democratisation of knowledge hierarchies between health professionals and the rural, remote and First Nations Peoples they serve; advancing the ruralisation of health professional curricula, and; leading national, State and regional policy towards the development of a sustainable rural and remote workforce across nursing, medicine, allied health and social work disciplines. Deb and colleagues have recently published the Anabranch Framework for the Ruralisation of Health Professional Education as a scholarly disruptive approach to education for the development of health equity and social justice orientated health professionals. Deb is currently leading calls for the inclusion of a Rural Capability Standard of Practice for all Registered Nurses in Australia.
This event is FREE for ANZAHPE members. Non-members are welcome to join this discussion for a small fee.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Kind Regards,
Kathryn Fitzgerald
Professional Development Portfolio
ANZAHPE
A recording of this session will be made available to all ANZAHPE members following the session.
