Professor Elizabeth Farmer, Dean, Graduate School of Medicine

Professor Elizabeth Farmer BSc (Hons), MBBS PhD FRACGP is the Dean of Medicine at the University of Wollongong, Graduate School of Medicine.

She received her bachelor degrees in medicine and surgery and an honours degree in Biochemistry at the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, University of London. After emigrating and training in paediatrics, general practice and community health in South Australia, she was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP). She completed her doctorate in medical education at Flinders University.

Professor Farmer’s previous appointments at Flinders University included a five-year term as inaugural Director of the Primary Health Care Research Evaluation and Development Program (PHC RED) a research capacity building program in primary care and a five year term as an Associate Professor in Medical Education and member of the executive team leading the process of curriculum reform to a graduate entry problem-based medical curriculum. In 1999 she was awarded the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Excellence and Innovation in Teaching at Flinders University.

Professor Farmer has a longstanding commitment to scientific endeavour, not only as a recognized academic leader in best evidence medical education but also through her immediate past role as Director of Education of the National Primary Care Collaboratives Program at Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia where she has promoted the translation of research evidence into practice using systems change methodologies and rigorous measurement of patients’ health outcomes. She also has wide experience in the evaluation of health and educational programs most recently with the Rural Doctors Workforce Agency in South Australia.

She has consistently held research grants including from the National Health and Medical Research Council, and has published 100 peer reviewed research articles, book chapters and conference abstracts in a range of areas including the assessment of competence, clinical decision-making, menopause decision-making, systems change and chronic disease care. Professor Farmer has also consulted and lectured widely both nationally and internationally in problem-based learning, assessment of clinical competence and performance and faculty development.

Professor Farmer has served on many national committees and expert advisory groups including for the RACGP Board of Examiners, the National Standing Committees of Education and of Research of the RACGP, the National Breast Cancer Council, the Cancer Council Oncology Education Committee and the General Practice Education & Training Registrar Research and Scholarship Committee. She is a member of the International Editorial Board of the well respected international journal ‘Medical Education’ which has the highest impact factor in its field. She is also a member of the international steering committees for the International Virtual Medical School (IVIMEDS) and the international IDEAL Consortium.

Email addresses are in the form alias@uow.edu.au

Last reviewed: 13 November, 2008