A new rural health research paper led by former UCRH MD student Noah Folpp has been published in SSM Health Systems, examining how young people with intellectual disability transition from paediatric to adult health care and where current systems fall short.
The study grew from Noah’s MD Research Project, completed at UCRH in 2025 under the primary supervision of Dr Jodie Bailie. The paper also includes three former UCRH MD Research students as co-authors: Dr Maddison Eveleigh (2024), Dr Paul Caltabiano (Dubbo, 2023), and Dr Bradley Shea (2022), highlighting the sustained contribution of student-led research to UCRH’s research program.
Using a scoping review of international literature published over the past decade, the study examined factors influencing transitions to adult health care for young people with intellectual disability. While influences were identified at individual, interpersonal, organisational, community and policy levels, organisational factors were most frequently reported.
Key themes included the importance of dedicated transition roles and pathways, the availability and adaptability of adult health services, and the knowledge and skills of health care providers. The review also found that most existing research reflects the perspectives of carers and clinicians, with limited inclusion of young people themselves.
The authors identified significant evidence gaps, including a lack of research from low- and middle-income settings and limited focus on community and policy-level influences. They conclude that future research should take more participatory approaches and broaden its geographic scope.
The publication demonstrates how MD student research at UCRH contributes to health systems knowledge with relevance for rural health services in Australia and internationally.
