History and previous cohorts

An international collaboration to improve general practice research

The Oxford International Primary Care Research Leadership programme was originally set up as part of the Brisbane Initiative, an international collaboration of universities founded by a small group of heads of primary care departments at a meeting in Brisbane in 2002. The programme was established in the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford where it is now based. However, the role of the Brisbane Initiative and many of its members has been important in the establishment and on-going development of the programme.

About the Brisbane Initiative

Brisbane Initiative was founded in 2002 by the heads of primary care departments from 8 countries (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, The Netherlands, Germany, Australia, US and Canada). The Brisbane Initiative operates under the aegis of the World Organisation of Family Doctors (WONCA).

The Brisbane Initiative aims to enlarge the pool of available training resources and enrich the educational environment for primary care research through cooperation both between existing primary care research units and between these units and other disciplines with a program that transcends national boundaries. The Brisbane Initiative also aims to establish a critical mass of current and future leaders in primary care research by bringing together leaders from many nations. The initiative explores ways to involve new primary care researchers in developing countries through the development of distance education techniques and mentoring opportunities.

The activities of the Brisbane Initiative include:

• Fellowships and visiting traineeships
• Formal Leadership Training Programs.
• Development of educational resources.
• Development of Expert Groups
• Creation of International "Think Tanks" in primary care research

The Brisbane Initiative has a small executive with geographical representation from departments of primary care around the world. In additional it has a broader organising group consisting of the original eight members and additional participating departments.  Finally it has a broad membership consisting of the above two groups plus all departments who have participated in any of the activities.