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Professor John Bushnell, Deputy Dean, Director of Graduate Medical Programme

Professor John Bushnell (BA, MA Hons, PGDipClinPsych, PhD, FNZCCPsych) came to the University of Wollongong to lead the team that developed and implemented the curriculum of the new MBBS degree. He came from the University of Otago where he held a number of positions, including Associate Dean for Medical Education with overall responsibility for the development and delivery of the MBChB curriculum, and Associate Professor in Psychological Medicine at the Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Professor Bushnell has held joint clinical appointments to academic Liaison Psychiatry units based in the medical and surgical wards of a general hospital for 25 years, in conjunction with various university based research and teaching roles.

His main research interests are in medical education, and the interface between medicine and psychology. Before leaving New Zealand, he was director of the MaGPIe Research Group, a collaboration between colleagues in General Practice, Public Health, and Psychological Medicine looking at mental health issues in primary care.

Professor Bushnell has served on many national health-related boards and advisory groups, including the New Zealand National Board of Health, and the NZ College of Clinical Psychologists in several roles including Foundation Chair of its Board of Education, President, and Editor of “The New Zealand Clinical Psychologist”. He also worked on many projects with NZ’s Ministry of Health, chairing the production of guidelines for evidence-based treatment of mental disorders in primary care. He was also a member of the NZ Psychologists Board at the time on implementation of the Health Practitioners Competency Assurance Act (2003), taking particular responsibility for developing processes for accreditation of university courses leading to registration of graduates as psychologists.

John’s interests include wine, photography and cycling.

Key Publications

• Carr N, Olmos M, Bushnell J. Delivering a pathology curriculum in an integrated medical course Virchows Arch (2008) 453:369–375
• Medical schools can cooperate: a new joint venture by three faculties to provide medical education in the Northern Rivers region of NSW. Page SL, Birden HH, Hudson JN, Thistlethwaite JE, Roberts C, Wilson I, Bushnell J, Hogg J; Freedman SB, Yeomans N. Medical Journal of Australia 188(3):179-81, 2008
• Wilkinson TJ, Wells JE, Bushnell JA. Medical student characteristics associated with time in study: Is spending more time always a good thing? Medical Teacher. 29(2-3):106-110, 2007.
• Dew, K., Morgan, S., Dowell, A., McLeod, D., Bushnell, JA. and Collings, S . “It puts things out of your control”: Fear of consequences as a barrier to disclosing mental health issues to general practitioners. Sociology of Health & Illness 29 (7) 1–16 , 2007
• Wilkinson TJ, Wells JE, Bushnell JA What is the educational impact of standards-based assessment in a medical degree? Medical Education 41: 565–572, 2007
• Roberts SL, Bushnell JA, Collings SCD. The psychological health of men with partners who have postpartum depression Aust NZ J Psychiatry 2006 40:704-711
• The MaGPIe Research Group. (Dowell AD, Bushnell JA, McLeod D, Dowell A, Salmond C, Ramage S, Collings S, Ellis P, Kljakovic M, McBain L) The treatment of common mental health problems in general practice. Family Practice 23(1):53-9, 2006
• The MaGPIe Research Group. (Collings SCD, Bushnell JA, McLeod D, Dowell A, Salmond C, Ramage S, Ellis P, Kljakovic M, McBain L) The relationship between disability and General Practitioner recognition of mental disorder. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 2005; 40: 994–1002
• The MaGPIe Research Group. (McLeod D, Bushnell JA, Dowell A, Salmond C, Ramage S, Collings S, Ellis P, Kljakovic M, McBain L) The MaGPIe Research Group. Do patients want to disclose psychological problems to general practitioners? Family Practice 2005; 22: 631–637.
• The MaGPIe Research Group. (Kljakovic M, McLeod D, Dowell A, Salmond C, Ramage S, Collings S, Ellis P, McBain L, Bushnell JA) Recognition of physical and psychological symptoms. Australian Family Physician 34 (8), 699-702, 2005.
• Wilkinson, T, Wells, JE, Bushnell JA. Are differences between graduates and undergraduates in a medical course due to age or prior degree? Medical Education 39: 657-665 2005
• The MaGPIe Research Group. (Dowell A, Bushnell JA, McLeod D, Salmond C, Ramage S, Collings S, Ellis P, Kljakovic M, McBain L) The effectiveness of case-finding for mental health problems in primary care. British Journal of General Practice. 55: 665-669, 2005.
• The MaGPIe Research Group. (Bushnell JA, McLeod D, Dowell A, Salmond C, Ramage S, Collings S, Ellis P, Kljakovic M, McBain L) Mental disorders among Maori people attending their general practitioner. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 39: 401-406 2005
• Dew, K., Dowell, A., McLeod, D. Collings, S. and Bushnell, JA. This Glorious Twilight Zone of Uncertainty: Mental health consultations in general practice. Social Science & Medicine, 61: 1189-1200, 2005.
• Wilkinson, T, Wells, JE, Bushnell JA. Use of a student diary to quantify learning activities within a medical curriculum. Medical Education 39: 657-664 2005
• The MaGPIe Research Group. (McLeod D, Dowell A, Bushnell JA, Salmond C, Ramage S, Collings S, Ellis P, Kljakovic M, McBain L) General practitioner recognition of mental illness in the absence of a ‘gold standard’ Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 2004; vol. 38, 789-794
• The MaGPIe Research Group. (Bushnell JA, McLeod D, Dowell A, Salmond C, Ramage S, Collings S, Ellis P, Kljakovic M, McBain L) Frequency of consultations and general practitioner recognition of psychological symptoms. British Journal of General Practice. 54,838-842. (2004).
• The MaGPIe Research Group. (Bushnell JA, McLeod D, Dowell A, Salmond C, Ramage S, Collings S, Ellis P, Kljakovic M, McBain L) Psychological problems in New Zealand primary health care: a report on the Mental Health and General Practice Investigation (MaGPIe). New Zealand Medical Journal. 116(1171):U379, 2003 Apr 4.
• Bushnell J A, Gellatly R, Ngata P, Taumoepeau B, Hirini P, Curtis C, McCormick R, Beckingsale R, Adlam B, Hermansson G, Butler R, McLachlan R Guidelines for assessing and treating substance use disorders in primary care. Wellington, National Health Committee [ISBN: 0-478-10481-2] (1999).
• Bushnell J A, Gellatly R, Oakley-Browne MA, Taumoepeau B, Hirini P, Curtis C, McCormick R, Beckingsale R, Adlam B, Hermansson G, Butler R, Sutich E, McLachlan R Guidelines for assessing and treating anxiety disorders in primary care. Wellington, National Health Committee [ISBN 0-478-10479-0] (1998).
• Bushnell J A The prevention of anxiety disorders. In Ellis P.M. and Collings C.D. (eds) Mental Health in New Zealand from a Public Health perspective: Research report No.2. Ministry of Health, Wellington (1997)
• Bushnell J A The prevention of eating disorders. In Ellis P.M. and Collings C.D. Mental Health in New Zealand from a Public Health perspective: Research report No.2. Ministry of Health, Wellington (1997)
• Bushnell J.A., and Bakker L Substance Use Disorders Among Men in Prison: A New Zealand Study. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 31(4):577-581, (1997)
• Bushnell J A, Wells, J.E., Oakley-Browne, M.A. Impulsivity in disordered eating, affective disorder and substance use disorder. British Journal of Psychiatry 169: 329-33, 1996
• Wells, J.E., Bushnell J A, Joyce, P.R., Oakley-Browne, M.A., Hornblow, A.R. Using latent class analysis to investigate alcohol diagnosis. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research. 5, 205-212 (1995)
• Bushnell J A, Wells, J.E., McKenzie, J.M., Oakley-Browne, M.A., Joyce, P.R., Hornblow, A.R. Bulimia comorbidity in the community and in the clinic. Psychological Medicine, 24, 605-611 (1994)
• Oakley-Browne, M.A., Joyce, P.R., Wells, J.E., Bushnell J A, Hornblow, A.R. (1994) Adverse parenting and other childhood experience as risk factors for depression in women aged 18-44 years Journal of Affective Disorders. 34,13-23.
• Wells, J.E., Robins, L.N., Bushnell J A, Jarosz, D., Oakley-Browne, M.A. Perceived barriers to care in St Louis, (USA) and Christchurch, (NZ): Reasons for not seeking professional help for psychological distress. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 29, 155-164 (1994)
• Oakley-Browne, M.A., Joyce, P.R., Wells, J.E., Bushnell J A, Hornblow, A.R. (1994) Adverse parenting and other childhood experience as risk factors for depression in women aged 18-44 years. Journal of Affective Disorders 34, 13-23 (1994)
• Bushnell J A, Wells, J.E., Oakley-Browne, M.A. Long term effects of intrafamilial sexual abuse. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 85, 136-142 (1993)
• Weissman,M.M., Wickramaratne, P., Greeenwald, S., Hsu, H., Oullette, R., Robins, L,N., Escobar, J.I., Bland, R., Newman, S., Orn, H., Rubio-Stipec, M., Wittchen, H., Essau, C., Faravelli, C., Incerpi, G., Guerrini Degl'Innocenti, G., Aiazzi, L., Pallanti, S., Lepine, J-P., Pariente, P., Lellouch, J., Karam, E., Wells, J. E., Joyce, P.R., Oakley-Browne, M.A., Bushnell J A, Hwu, H., Yeh, E., Chang, L., Klerman, G., Leon, A. ., Lavori, P., Warshaw, M., Maier, W., Marx, A., Lichterman, D., Minges, J., Friebos, R., Hallmeyer, J. The changing rates of Major Depression: Cross-national comparisons. Journal of the American Medical Association, 268, 3098-3105 (1992)
• Wells, J.E., Bushnell J A, Joyce, P.R., Hornblow, A.R., Oakley-Browne, M.A. Alcohol abuse and dependence in New Zealand: data from Christchurch. In J. Helzer (ed) Alcoholism in North America, Europe and Asia. Oxford, OUP(1992).
• Wells, J.E., Bushnell J A, Joyce, P.R., Oakley-Browne, M.A., Hornblow, A.R. Preventing alcohol problems: the implications of a case finding study in Christchurch, New Zealand. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 83, 31-40 (1991)
• James, F., Large R.G., Bushnell J A, Wells, J.E., Epidemiology of pain in New Zealand. Pain, 44, 279-283 (1991)
• Hornblow, A.R., Bushnell J A, Wells, J.E., Oakley-Browne, M.A., Joyce, P.R. Christchurch Psychiatric Epidemiology Study: Use of mental health services. New Zealand Medical Journal, 103, 415-417 (1990)
• Bushnell J A, Wells, J.E., Hornblow, A.R., Oakley-Browne, M.A., Joyce, P.R. The prevalence of three bulimia syndromes in the general population. Psychological Medicine, 20, 671-680 (1990)
• Wells, J.E., Bushnell J A, Hornblow, A.R., Joyce, P.R., Oakley-Browne, M.A. Christchurch Psychiatric Epidemiology Study: Methodology and lifetime prevalence for specific disorders. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 23, 315-326 (1989)
• Oakley-Browne, M.A., Joyce, P.R., Wells, J.E., Bushnell J A, Hornblow, A.R. Christchurch Psychiatric Epidemiology Study: six month and other period prevalences. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 23, 327-340 (1989)

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