Overview
Background
Associate Professor Spurling works at The University of Queensland General Practice Clinical Unit (0.4 FTE) and at the Southern Queensland Centre of Excellence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health care (Inala COE – 0.6 FTE). He has research interests in social determinants of health and access to primary health care, especially where his research skills can be of service to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. His other research interests are quality use of medicines and respiratory infections, with particular methodological interests in systematic reviews and mixed-methods research in general practice.
He completed medical training at the University of Queensland, did his junior doctor years in regional Queensland and completed a Diploma of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in London in 1998. In 2001, he spent 12 months working on a project in Central America with Médecins Sans Frontières. He completed general practice specialty training with the RACGP in 2004, which included an academic registrar term. In 2004, he was fortunate to meet Professor Noel Hayman, one of Queensland’s first Aboriginal medical graduates and Clinical Director of the Inala COE, who offered him a GP position in 2004. He has shared his full-time work as a GP academic at the Inala COE and UQ GPCU ever since.
Associate Professor Spurling has developed clinical interests in serving the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in Inala, serving Spanish-speaking refugees, diabetic retinopathy, and, most recently, addiction medicine. He has been mentoring GP registrars and medical students at the Inala COE since 2004. As a member of the UQ GPCU academic staff, he regularly takes tutorial groups and lectures in cardiovascular medicine, respiratory infections, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and social determinants of health for medical students doing their general practice rotation.
Associate Professor Spurling supervises five postgraduate students (PhD students). He has been awarded over A$10M in research grants and has published over 70 peer-reviewed papers.
Availability
- Dr Geoff Spurling is:
- Available for supervision
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery and Medical Science, The University of Queensland
- Masters (Coursework) of Public Health, The University of Queensland
- Doctor of Philosophy of General Practice, The University of Queensland
- Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
Research impacts
Associate Professor Spurling’s research has led to invitations to be primary editor for the Therapeutic Guidelines update on otitis media (2022-23); provide advice to Therapeutic Guidelines regarding their update of sore throat and rheumatic heart disease sections (2020-2021); serve as a committee member of the national RACGP expert committee on research (2018-2021); and serve as a GP representative on NPS Medicinewise’s prescribing and intervention expert advisory group (2011-2017).
Associate Professor Spurling’s research program, including doctoral research, contributed to: a new Medicare item number for retinal photography in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary care; remodelled national health assessments developed by RACGP and NACCHO, and published by the Department of Health in 2021; computerisation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health assessments at the Inala COE in Brisbane, Australia (2010-). In 2019, he was awarded an NHMRC Emerging Leader Fellowship with the aim of co-creating a youth health assessment to better meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people presenting to primary care.
Works
Search Professor Geoff Spurling’s works on UQ eSpace
2024
Journal Article
Self-reported hearing loss in urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults: unmeasured, unknown and unmanaged
Pender, Alice M., Schluter, Philip J., Bainbridge, Roxanne G., Spurling, Geoffrey K., Wilson, Wayne J., Tyson, Claudette ‘Sissy’ and Askew, Deborah A. (2024). Self-reported hearing loss in urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults: unmeasured, unknown and unmanaged. Australian Journal of Primary Health, 30 (4) PY24024. doi: 10.1071/py24024
2024
Journal Article
Characterization of gram-negative bloodstream infections in hospitalised Australian children and their clinical outcomes
Wen, Sophie C.H., Harris, Patrick N. A., Forde, Brian, Permana, Budi, Chatfield, Mark D., Lau, Colleen L., Spurling, Geoffrey, Bauer, Michelle J., Balch, Ross, Chambers, Henry, Schlapbach, Luregn J., Clark, Julia E., Dougherty, Sonia, Blyth, Christopher C., Britton, Philip N., Clifford, Vanessa, Haeusler, Gabrielle M., McMullan, Brendan, Wadia, Ushma, Paterson, David L., Irwin, Adam D., on behalf of the PAEDS network, Carr, Jeremy, Vasilunas, Nan, Francis, Joshua R., Macartney, Kristine, Crawford, Nigel W., Wood, Nicholas, Buttery, Jim ... Glover, Catherine (2024). Characterization of gram-negative bloodstream infections in hospitalised Australian children and their clinical outcomes. Clinical Infectious Diseases. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciae341
2023
Journal Article
Counting what counts: a systematic scoping review of instruments used in primary healthcare services to measure the wellbeing of Indigenous children and youth
Saunders, Vicki, McCalman, Janya, Tsey, Sena, Askew, Deborah, Campbell, Sandy, Jongen, Crystal, Angelo, Candace, Spurling, Geoff and Cadet-James, Yvonne (2023). Counting what counts: a systematic scoping review of instruments used in primary healthcare services to measure the wellbeing of Indigenous children and youth. BMC Primary Care, 24 (1) 51, 1-14. doi: 10.1186/s12875-023-02001-z
2023
Journal Article
Immediate versus delayed versus no antibiotics for respiratory infections
Spurling, Geoffrey K.P., Dooley, Liz, Clark, Justin and Askew, Deborah A. (2023). Immediate versus delayed versus no antibiotics for respiratory infections. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2023 (10) CD004417. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD004417.pub6
2023
Journal Article
The impact of <scp>COVID</scp>‐19 on consultations at an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health care service: a retrospective observational study
Spurling, Geoffrey K, Askew, Deborah A and Hayman, Noel E (2023). The impact of COVID‐19 on consultations at an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health care service: a retrospective observational study. Medical Journal of Australia, 219 (10), 482-484. doi: 10.5694/mja2.52121
2023
Journal Article
Influencing factors to mHealth uptake with Indigenous populations: qualitative systematic review
Goodman, Andrew, Mahoney, Ray, Spurling, Geoffrey and Lawler, Sheleigh (2023). Influencing factors to mHealth uptake with Indigenous populations: qualitative systematic review. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 11 e45162, 1-14. doi: 10.2196/45162
2023
Journal Article
3-Domains screening toolkit for medical assessment of older drivers
Wallis, Katharine A., Scott, Theresa L., Mendis, Marini and Spurling, Geoffrey (2023). 3-Domains screening toolkit for medical assessment of older drivers. Australian Journal of General Practice, 52 (6), 401-407.
2023
Journal Article
3-Domains screening toolkit for medical assessment of older drivers: feasibility study in Australian general practice
Wallis, Katharine A., Scott, Theresa L., Mendis, Marini and Spurling, Geoffrey (2023). 3-Domains screening toolkit for medical assessment of older drivers: feasibility study in Australian general practice. Australian journal of general practice, 52 (6), 401-407. doi: 10.31128/AJGP-08-22-6528
2023
Journal Article
Wellbeing and mental health interventions for Indigenous children and youth: a systematic scoping review
Jongen, Crystal, Campbell, Sandy, Saunders, Vicki, Askew, Deborah, Spurling, Geoffrey, Gueorguiev, Eva, Langham, Erika, Bainbridge, Roxanne and McCalman, Janya (2023). Wellbeing and mental health interventions for Indigenous children and youth: a systematic scoping review. Children and Youth Services Review, 145 106790, 1-14. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106790
2023
Journal Article
The acceptability and utility of Indigenous youth health assessments: a narrative systematic review
Fraser, Jed, Askew, Deborah, Mahoney, Ray and Spurling, Geoffrey (2023). The acceptability and utility of Indigenous youth health assessments: a narrative systematic review. Australian Journal of Primary Health, 29 (4), 296-305. doi: 10.1071/py22128
2023
Journal Article
Ear and hearing health in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and older: a scoping review
Pender, A. M., Wilson, W. J., Bainbridge, R. G., Schluter, P. J., Spurling, G. K. and Askew, D. A. (2023). Ear and hearing health in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and older: a scoping review. International Journal of Audiology, 62 (12), 1118-1128. doi: 10.1080/14992027.2022.2129853
2022
Journal Article
Development of a decolonising framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health policy analysis in Australia
Kehoe, Helen, Schütze, Heike, Spurling, Geoffrey and Lovett, Raymond (2022). Development of a decolonising framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health policy analysis in Australia. The International Indigenous Policy Journal, 13 (3). doi: 10.18584/iipj.2022.13.3.11269
2022
Journal Article
INFLATE: a protocol for a randomised controlled trial comparing nasal balloon autoinflation to no nasal balloon autoinflation for otitis media with effusion in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
Walsh, Robyn, Reath, Jennifer, Gunasekera, Hasantha, Leach, Amanda, Kong, Kelvin, Askew, Deborah, Girosi, Federico, Hu, Wendy, Usherwood, Timothy, Lujic, Sanja, Spurling, Geoffrey, Morris, Peter, Watego, Chelsea, Harkus, Samantha, Woodall, Cheryl, Tyson, Claudette, Campbell, Letitia, Hussey, Sylvia and Abbott, Penelope (2022). INFLATE: a protocol for a randomised controlled trial comparing nasal balloon autoinflation to no nasal balloon autoinflation for otitis media with effusion in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Trials, 23 (1) 309. doi: 10.1186/s13063-022-06145-8
2022
Journal Article
Challenges of conducting kidney health checks among patients at risk of chronic kidney disease and attending an urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary healthcare service
Lakhan, Prabha, Cooney, Anna, Palamuthusingam, Dharmenaan, Torrens, Gary, Spurling, Geoffrey, Martinez, Antonio and Johnson, David (2022). Challenges of conducting kidney health checks among patients at risk of chronic kidney disease and attending an urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary healthcare service. Australian Journal of Primary Health, 28 (5), 371-379. doi: 10.1071/PY21248
2021
Journal Article
Factors associated with thoughts of self-harm or suicide among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people presenting to urban primary care: an analysis of de-identified clinical data
Pandeya, Neha A., Schluter, Philip J., Spurling, Geoffrey K., Tyson, Claudette, Hayman, Noel E. and Askew, Deborah A. (2021). Factors associated with thoughts of self-harm or suicide among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people presenting to urban primary care: an analysis of de-identified clinical data. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19 (1) 153, 153. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19010153
2021
Journal Article
Mixed-methods evaluation of screening for hearing loss using the hearScreen™ mobile health application in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children presenting to an urban primary healthcare service
Spurling, Geoffrey K., Tyson, Claudette 'Sissy', Askew, Deborah and Reath, Jennifer (2021). Mixed-methods evaluation of screening for hearing loss using the hearScreen™ mobile health application in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children presenting to an urban primary healthcare service. Australian Journal of Primary Health, 27 (5), 371-376. doi: 10.1071/PY21059
2021
Journal Article
Gram-negative neonatal sepsis in low- and lower-middle-income countries and WHO empirical antibiotic recommendations: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Wen, Sophie C. H., Ezure, Yukiko, Rolley, Lauren, Spurling, Geoff, Lau, Colleen L., Riaz, Saba, Paterson, David L. and Irwin, Adam D. (2021). Gram-negative neonatal sepsis in low- and lower-middle-income countries and WHO empirical antibiotic recommendations: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS Medicine, 18 (9) e1003787, 1-20. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003787
2021
Journal Article
Rapid review of five years of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research in Australia - persisting under-representation of urban populations
Jennings, Warren, Spurling, Geoffrey, Shannon, Brett, Hayman, Noel and Askew, Deborah (2021). Rapid review of five years of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research in Australia - persisting under-representation of urban populations. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 45 (1), 53-58. doi: 10.1111/1753-6405.13072
2021
Journal Article
Gram-Negative Neonatal Sepsis in Low- and Middle- Income Countries: How Appropriate are the WHO Recommended Empirical Sepsis Antibiotic Regimens? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Wen, Sophie C.H., Ezure, Yukiko, Rolley, Lauren, Spurling, Geoff, Lau, Colleen L., Paterson, David L. and Irwin, Adam D. (2021). Gram-Negative Neonatal Sepsis in Low- and Middle- Income Countries: How Appropriate are the WHO Recommended Empirical Sepsis Antibiotic Regimens? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.3777180
2020
Journal Article
Systems integration to promote the mental health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children: protocol for a community-driven continuous quality improvement approach
McCalman, Janya, Bainbridge, Roxanne, James, Yvonne Cadet, Bailie, Ross, Tsey, Komla, Matthews, Veronica, Ungar, Michael, Askew, Deborah, Fagan, Ruth, Visser, Hannah, Spurling, Geoffrey, Percival, Nikki, Blignault, Ilse and Doran, Chris (2020). Systems integration to promote the mental health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children: protocol for a community-driven continuous quality improvement approach. BMC Public Health, 20 (1) 1810, 1-12. doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-09885-x
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Geoff Spurling is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Measuring equitable access to primary care services.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jason Pole
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Doctor Philosophy
Gram-negative bloodstream infections in Australian children
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Colleen Lau, Mr Mark Chatfield, Associate Professor Adam Irwin
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Doctor Philosophy
Factors affecting clinician use of evidence in GP consultations
Associate Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
Rates and effects of hearing loss and middle ear dysfunction in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adult population
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Wayne Wilson, Associate Professor Deborah Askew, Professor Roxanne Bainbridge
Completed supervision
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Can an integrated mHealth platform assist in the management of hypertension for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people?
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Ray Mahoney, Associate Professor Sheleigh Lawler
Media
Enquiries
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