Monday Lunch Live

Driving innovation in primary care -The role of the primary care trials unit

16 February 2026

Empowering patients in general practice to participate in research through innovative, Australia-wide technology—making trials and other studies more inclusive and relevant for both patients and clinicians.

The Primary Care Trials Unit at the University of Melbourne showcase how patients and general practices across Australia are empowered to participate in innovative, inclusive research. Learn how they are using secure, nationwide technology to make primary care studies more relevant and impactful for both patients and clinicians.

The Primary Care Trials Unit is a leading research team dedicated to advancing health services research and implementation science within the complex primary care setting. The unit designs and conducts trials in collaboration with practitioners and consumers, applying innovative approaches such as clinical data analytics, data linkage, and co-design methodologies.

Their expertise includes participant and practice recruitment, development of complex interventions, qualitative evaluations, and risk stratification. Leveraging technologies like Torch Recruit for streamlined patient recruitment and initiatives such as Data for Decisions and the Patron Program, they utilise de-identified GP patient data to drive evidence-based improvements in primary care delivery.

Chair

Associate Professor Kylie Vuong 
Department of General Practice and Primary Care, University of Melbourne 

A/Prof Kylie Vuong is a general practitioner and clinician-researcher at the Department of General Practice and Primary Care, University of Melbourne. Her work focuses on translating cancer research into primary care, with expertise in melanoma, keratinocyte cancers, and prevention and early detection strategies.

She has led numerous multidisciplinary research initiatives, including the MRFF-funded PEARL study supporting culturally and linguistically diverse patients affected by cancer, and her research has informed national guidelines such as the RACGP Preventive Guidelines (2024) and Cancer Council Australia’s melanoma and keratinocyte cancer clinical guidelines. A/Prof Vuong has secured over $4.5 million in competitive research funding and contributes actively to collaborative networks, including Primary Health Networks, RACGP, and the Primary Care Collaborative Cancer Clinical Trials Group.

She is a Fellow of the RACGP, holds a PhD in Cancer Epidemiology from the University of Sydney, and serves on multiple national committees to advance evidence-based cancer care, education, and research. Her work emphasizes integrating research into routine primary care to improve patient outcomes and foster collaboration across the VCCC Alliance.

Speakers

Professor Lena Sanci
Chair of General Practice and Head of Department of General Practice and Primary Care, University of Melbourne

Prof Sanci leads the Children and Young People’s Research Stream in the Department and oversees Australia’s first Primary Care Trials Unit. It has led over 25 RCTs, over half of which have been in the last 5 years involving 400 general practices and 24,000+ participants.

Professor Dougie Boyle
Director of the Research Information Technology Unit (R2)

Since 2006, Prof Boyle has been researching, developing and implementing systems for the ethical acquisition of record-linkable data for audit, research and health surveillance. Consent management, security and privacy-protecting record linkage are key components and research areas.

Maria Stambas
Program Coordinator, Primary Care Trials Unit, University of Melbourne

Maria Stambas leads the operations and strategic coordination of the Primary Care Trials Unit at the University of Melbourne. With over two decades of experience in primary care research, she has contributed to the design and delivery of studies ranging from observational research to complex clinical trials. Her leadership includes managing one of Australia’s largest longitudinal studies, which tracked nearly 800 individuals with depressive symptoms in general practice over a 10-year period—providing critical insights into mental health care in primary settings.