Professor Jane Gunn

University of Melbourne (Professor)

Professor Jane Gunn (MBBS, FRACGP) has played key leadership roles in reforming shared maternity care and cervical screening programs in Victoria via work with the State Government and the Cancer Council; these also spanned medical and nursing student training and continuing medical and nursing education. She was the invited inaugural Chair of the Board of the Northern Melbourne Medical Local Ltd and served in this role until these were replaced with Primary Health Networks (PHNs). She is now a Member of the Board of the recently formed Eastern Melbourne PHN.

In all of these roles Jane has been able to bring her leadership skills and research expertise to lead health care system updates as the evidence progresses, much as is needed within ACRE. Most recently, Jane’s recognised leadership role and unique combination of research and practice skills led to her Ministerial appointment to the Steering Committees of the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, the National Standards Performance Framework for Mental Health, and to the Mental Health Expert Reference Group. This contributes nationally to policy reform. These and membership of national guideline groups are a key translational outcome of ACRE.

Jane led the 'diamond cohort' study, one of the 5 top research projects in mental health featured in the 2009 publication ‘NHMRC: Working to Build a Healthy Australia’. It has influenced National Surveys of Mental Health and Well-being, the development of 'beyondblue' guidelines for use by GPs, and the 2011 NHMRC Committee to develop clinical guidelines for borderline personality disorder. The research methods and guideline development have gained international attention (UK, USA and Asia), are influencing translational research, and are a key ACRE methodology.

Jane has also worked with the National Prescribing Service, a key ACRE collaborator, to develop data extraction method enabling continuous monitoring of the quality of GP care (e.g. in medication use and uptake).