Harkness Project Title:
Medical Professionalism and Disparities in Health and Health Care
Mentors: Troyen Brennan, M.D., J.D., Ph.D., and David Blumenthal. M.D.
Placement: Harvard School of Public Health
Biography at time of Harkness Fellowship: Russell L. Gruen, a 2002–03 Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy, is an advanced trainee in General and Trauma Surgery with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, and a research fellow at the Flinders University of South Australia and Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin, Australia. His doctoral thesis, which addresses the delivery of specialist services to remote and disadvantaged Aboriginal communities in northern Australia, has received several specialist society and university awards. Gruen has participated on national advisory committees relating to care of severely injured patients and rural specialist workforce issues. His major policy interests include the involvement of physicians and medical societies in addressing health inequalities; population models of specialist practice; the relationship between specialists and general physicians; trauma systems in nonurban settings; and rural workforce issues.
Project: Gruen’s study examined how physicians’ principles of professionalism guide their public activities and activism, particularly related to policies addressing disparities. He conducted a literature and analyzed focus group data on the relationship between professionalism and disparities, and conducted interviews with key informants from three professional medical societies. He then developed a conceptual framework for physicians’ roles in addressing disparities, which was used to develop a survey of over 3,000 physicians.
Career Activity Since Fellowship
- Professor of Surgery and Public Health, Monash University, and Consultant Surgeon, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, 2009
- General Surgeon and Trauma Surgeon, The Alfred Hospital, 2009
- Director, National Trauma Research Institute, 2007
- GJ Royal Medal, Victorian State Committee, Royal Australian College of Surgeons, 2006
- General Surgeons of Australia Medal, Congress Visitor in Rural Surgery, Royal Australian College of Surgeons Annual Scientific Congress, Perth, 2006
- Associate Professor of Surgery, University of Melbourne, 2006
- Associate Professor of Health Services Research, Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin & University of Queensland, 2005
Current Positions:
- Professor of Surgery and Public Health, Monash University.
- Director of the National Trauma Registry Institute.
- Surgeon and Head of Trauma Quality Assurance, The Alfred Hospital.
Updated January 2012
E-Mail: russell.gruen@mh.org.au
Harkness-Related Publications
Gruen RL. “Evidence-based Advocacy: The Public Roles of Health-care Professionals.” Medical Journal of Australia 2008; 188 (12): 684-685.
Campbell EG, Regan S, Gruen RL, Cleary PD, Blumenthal D. “Professionalism in Medicine: Results of a National Survey of Physicians,” Annals of Internal Medicine 2007; 147(11):795-802.
Campbell EG, Gruen RL, Mountford J, Miller LG, Clearly PD, Blumenthal D. “A National Survey of Physician–Industry Relationships,” New England Journal of Medicine 2007; 356: 1742-1750.
Studdert, D.M., Mello, M.M., Levy, M.K., Gruen, R.L., Dunn, E.J., Orav, E.J., Brennan, T.A., "Geographic Variation in Informed Consent Law: Two Standards for Disclosure of Treatment Risks," Journal of Empirical Legal Studies 2007; 4:103–24.
Campbell, E.G., Gruen, R.L., Mountford, J., Miller, L.G., Clearly, P.D., Blumenthal, D., "A National Survey of Physician–Industry Relationships," New England Journal of Medicine 2007; 356: 1742–1750.
Gruen, R.L., Campbell, E.C., Blumenthal, D., "Public Roles of U.S. Physicians: Community Participation, Political Involvement and Collective Advocacy," Journal of the American Medical Association 2006; 296: 2467–2475
Grant, R.W., Campbell, E.G., Gruen, R.L., Ferris, T.G., Blumenthal, D., "Prevalence of Basic Information Technology Use by U.S. Physicians," Journal of General Internal Medicine 2006; 11: 1150–5
Weiss EC, Gruen RL. First principles: Substantive ethics for healthcare organizations. J Healthcare Management, March/April 2005, Volume 50(2).
Gruen RL, Pearson SE, Brennan TA. Physician-Citizens: public roles and professional obligations. JAMA (2004);291:94–98.
Gruen RL, Pearson SE, Brennan TA. Physicians as citizens - reply. (Invited reply) JAMA. (2004); 291:2076–2077.
Gruen RL. Professionalism in surgery: the American approach. Aust NZ J Surg. (2004); 74(suppl.):A19.
Gruen RL. Commentary on: The Five-Fold Root of an Ethics in Surgery. (Invited Commentary) In: A Miles Little Reader: Restoring humane values to medicine. Desert Pea Press, Sydney. 2003.
Gruen RL. "Medical Professionalism Charter." (letter) Medical Journal of Australia (2003)178:94.
Arya J, Cosgrove EM, Cruess RL, Cruess SR, Eastman AB, Fabri PJ, Friedman P, Gruen RL, et al. "American College of Surgeons Code of Professional Conduct." Journal of American College of Surgeons, 2003;197:603–4.
Gruen RL, Arya J, Cosgrove EM, Cruess RL, Cruess SR, Eastman AB et al. "Professionalism in surgery." Journal of American College of Surgeons, 2003;197:605–8.
Gruen RL, Pearson SD, Brennan TA. "The physician citizen: public roles and professional obligations." Journal of the American Medical Association.
Gruen RL Indigenous surgical admissions (letter). Australia New Zealand Journal of Surgery.