Jason is a GP and an epidemiologist with a focus on the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and is the senior medical advisor at NACCHO, the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation. He also works as a GP at Gurriny Yealamucka, an Aboriginal community controlled health service in the community of Yarrabah in far north Queensland.

At the ANU his research focuses on improving the prevention of chronic diseases for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and understanding new models of primary health care.

He has an interest in developing team-based community health care, and the use of routinely collected data to improve health services. He works with NACCHO on primary healthcare reform, is a member of the MBS Review Advisory Committee (MRAC), the Council for Connected Care and contributes to national reporting as co-chair of the Australian Government's Health Services Data Advisory Group.

He has supported the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Sector through the COVID-19 pandemic and sits on the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Protection Committee and the Guidelines Leadership Group of the National COVID-19 Evidence Taskforce.

A review and evaluation of general practice datasets and indicators available for assessing coverage of chronic disease risk assessment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

A key element to effective prevention of chronic disease is the early identification and management of chronic disease risk. This is especially important for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who experience a high burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes and kidney disease from a young age.

Large datasets exist which contain de-identified cross-sectional patient information extracted from electronic medical records used in general practices (e.g. NPS MedicineInsight). In this project, we will review available GP datasets and indicators available for assessing coverage of chronic disease risk assessment and management of risk for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Datasets and indicators will be assessed for usefulness in directing quality improvement and the identification of services achieving high rates of chronic disease risk screening and follow-up.

Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients with end stage renal failure requiring intensive care

The prevalence of dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease (CKD5D) is increasing steadily, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are at increased risk of developing it. Patients who are admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with existing CKD5D are more likely to require invasive procedures (mechanical ventilation, blood transfusions, strong drug infusions), are likely to require longer admissions and have an increased risk of death. Finally, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are overrepresented in the ICU, tend to be younger than non-Indigenous patients and present at later stages of disease. This will be the first study to investigate the difference in hospital outcomes between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous ICU patients with existing CKD5D.