Dr Danielle Butler is the recipient of the 2009 APHCRI/Robert Graham Center Visiting Fellowship. She is a general practice registrar at the Wurli Wurlinjang Aboriginal Medical Service in Katherine, Northern Territory.

The award enables a registrar or recent general practice graduate to spend six weeks undertaking research at the Robert Graham Center, an APHCRI sister institute in Washington, DC.

The APHCRI/Robert Graham Center Visiting Fellowship aims to provide an opportunity to gain international experience working on a short-term research project of interest to both APHCRI and the Robert Graham Center and build primary health care policy research capacity in Australia. It will also contribute to developing the infrastructure for policy-relevant research in primary health care internationally.

Based in Washington DC the Fellowship provides a grant of $15,000 from APHCRI to cover travel and incidental expenses for a minimum four-week placement. The Robert Graham Center provides the use of an apartment near to the Center and a stipend.

Dr Butler’s project is titled “Ecologic and individual predictors for primary health access deprivation in refugee populations. Potential expansion of a US model for directing policy and its applicability to the Australian Context.” Dr Butler has gained considerable experience in primary health care, health promotion, community development and capacity building. Her long term goal is to work in remote and rural Australia, specifically the Top End of the Northern Territory, and in developing countries.

Dr Danielle Butler