Charles Sturt University (CSU) Vice-Chancellor, Professor Andrew Vann, and La Trobe University Vice-Chancellor, Professor John Dewar, today announced the appointment of Mr Mark Burdack to lead the next stage of the Murray Darling Medical School initiative.  

Mr Burdack takes over from Dr Kim Webber who has moved overseas to work. 

Mr Burdack was formerly the University Secretary and head of corporate governance and regional and government relations at CSU. He played a key role in the University's successful bids for federal government funding to establish the CSU School of Dentistry and Health Sciences and community dental clinics in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange and Wagga Wagga. He was also central to efforts to establish the Bathurst Medical Clinic, allied health clinics in Bathurst and Albury-Wodonga, the National Life Science Hub (NaLSH) in Wagga Wagga, the establishment of the CSU campus in Port Macquarie, and the merger of the predecessor institution into CSU in Orange.

Professor Vann said, "The Murray Darling Medical School is at a key point in its development, with the National Party having committed to delivering the School in government.

"Mr Burdack has played a key role in a number of important regional development initiatives undertaken by Charles Sturt University over the last decade. 

"He brings to the Murray Darling Medical School bid considerable history in working collaboratively with governments, health practitioners and communities to deliver key rural health and education infrastructure and services."

Professor Dewar said, "There is much work to do to prepare for the establishment of the new school as a joint venture between La Trobe University and Charles Sturt University, and to ensure the government gives this critical initiative priority in upcoming Budgets. 

"Mr Burdack has shown considerable passion for rural and regional development, and an approach which is inclusive of the needs of all non-metropolitan regions across Victoria and NSW.

"His experience in corporate governance, strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and working with government will be valuable in the next stage of this project."

Mr Burdack said, "Rural and regional people continue to have access to half the doctors compared to major cities. 

"A big part of my role will be to make sure the government has all the information it needs to make a timely decision to deliver a new rural medical school for our communities. 

"There are four main reasons why inland northern Victoria and western NSW must have their own medical school.

"First, it is unfair that students who live in major cities have a broad range of choices to study medicine locally, while rural students have no local options. If we want a rural health and medical workforce, we need to give rural and Indigenous students more options closer to home.

"Second, all the major research says that we need to break down the silos between doctors, nurses and allied health professions to support team-based health care in rural areas. We need to urgently bring medical and health education together in rural areas if we are to deliver effective team-based care in the future.

"Third, we know that regional campuses have a massive flow-on impact on job creation and economic activities in the regions.  A medical school in rural Victoria and NSW would stimulate significant new economic opportunities. Rural people tell me that they want their taxpayer dollars spent locally, and not sent off to major cities to grow their economies and create jobs at the expense of our communities. 

"Fourth, La Trobe University and Charles Sturt University can both prove that over 75 per cent of their rural campus health graduates go on to work in rural areas after they graduate. We need real rural medical schools that deliver the whole of their programs in rural areas, and that is not what we have at the moment. 

"A rural medical school is the right health decision, it is the right economic decision, and it is the only way to ensure equity and a 'fair go' for our regions."