Dr. Carmel Martin

Dr. Carmel Martin joined the University of Ottawa in February 2003 with joint academic appointments with the Department of Family Medicine as an Associate Professor and with the Institute of Population Health and the Elizabeth Bruyere Research Institute as a Scientist. Dr. Martin has been recruited from Australia to provide leadership in the development of the intellectual and scientific basis of primary health care innovation and transition. Her main areas of research are chronic illness and disease care systems in Family Practice, Aboriginal health and primary health care policy and evaluation. Dr. Martin will lead a research program on chronic illness care systems in primary health care.

Dr. Martin completed her early hospital career and subsequent training as a general practitioner in London, UK, following her undergraduate medical training at the University of Queensland, Australia. She undertook basic training in applied epidemiology, health services research and health policy with a Master’s degree at the London School of Medicine and Tropical Medicine, University of London (1988) as part of registrar, senior registrar training in public health medicine (1985-1990). On her return to Australia in 1991, she worked as a member and acting director of the Technical Advisory Group of the national General Practice Evaluation Program which established the first primary health care research program in Australia. This program established conceptual frameworks for policy, practice, methodology development and developed research capacity. Dr. Martin completed her PhD on the Care of Chronic Illness in General Practice in 1998. This work identified a large unrecognized burden of chronic illness in general practice attenders with significant unmet common needs across a wide spectrum of different chronic diseases. Management of chronic diseases in a reactive, episodic manner was not meeting people’s needs. Common experiences and needs for care of people with a wide range of different chronic disease, identified them as a significant population subgroup. Generalist primary care required new models of care delivery, remuneration and integration to meet their needs. She translated her this research into national policy and programs through her positions as Senior Medical Advisor to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Member of the Board of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and Director of the Health Services Department, the Australian Medical Association (AMA). Dr. Martin’s work contributed to the implementation of a national program of chronic illness care in general practice – notably a clinical framework and remuneration for chronic illness multi-disciplinary care planning and medication management review. Dr. Martin was an advisor to major government programs including the National Youth Suicide Prevention Strategy (1996-2001), the Domiciliary and Residential Care Medication Management Review programs (2000-2003) and the Enhanced Primary Care program (1998-2003). Working within the AMA in collaboration with the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organization, she contributed to policies with a national impact including the ‘Links between Health and Education in Aboriginal children’ and ‘Preventable Chronic Disease Strategies’.

Since February 2003, Dr. Martin has been a major contributor to the securing of 1 major grant of $1.4 million dollars with Drs. Hogg and Lemelin at the University of Ottawa and has secured a total of $2.0 million dollars peer-reviewed Canadian research funding as a Co-Investigator with these colleagues since 2001. Between 1991 -2001, Dr. Martin secured peer-reviewed grants as Principal Investigator in Australia amounting to over $500,000Aus and non-peer reviewed grants of $210,000Aus. She has over 40 peer reviewed publications including 28 in journals, an editorial contribution to the World Organization of Family Doctors Dictionary and recently a book ‘Chronic Illness Care, New policies, New Directions’. She made over 30 academic presentations in Australia, Europe and Canada. Dr. Martin has written and co-written over 30 health policy papers, statements, articles and submissions since 1995. She has practiced as a Family Physician in various primary care settings including Aboriginal community clinics. Dr. Martin currently works at the Family Medicine Centre, University of Ottawa that is a Family Health Network interdisciplinary practice with over 8,000 patients.