Richard McGee

Dr Richard McGee

Research Interests

  • I am interested in how to improve the way research is conducted. A large amount of energy is invested in performing research but little on the actual process. I’m exploring ways to improve the reliability, efficiency and effectiveness of the research process
  • I am a paediatric endocrinologist and so help children with all different types of hormone disorders. I am looking at ways to improve the outcomes for children seen in our diabetes clinic.
  • I also teach medical students and I look at ways at making the learning process more engaging, memorable and efficient.

Why did you get into research?

I love efficiency and I’m a stickler for rules! I was shocked to find out how much research effort is wasted because of bad design, conduct and planning. I think it is unethical for patients and it means valuable interventions are not being recognised. My goal is to change this and thereby improve patient outcomes.

What would be the ultimate goal for your research?

I would be satisfied if I could see that patients were having improved outcomes because of better research standards and that I made researchers recognise the need to improve the quality of their processes.   

Brief Profile / Biography

Dr Richard McGee is a Paediatric Endocrinologist in the Department of Paediatric Diabetes and Endocrinology, The Central Coast Local Health District and an academic member of staff with teaching duties for The Central Coast Clinical School & Research Institute - JMP.

Richard obtained his masters in clinical epidemiology, followed by a PhD in 2015 from the Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney exploring mechanisms of bias and study design. His primary research continues to focus on promoting robust science and increasing the efficiency of scientific investigation through meta-research methods.

Richard has been involved in undergraduate, postgraduate and professional medical education since 2008. He has won several teaching awards during this time. He coordinates the paediatric teaching for the Joint Medical Program MD students on placements across The Central Coast Local Health District (Gosford & Wyong hospitals). In addition, Richard is involved in teaching Paediatric and Clinical Epidemiology skills to FRACP candidates and paediatric trainees at all three NSW Paediatric Physician Training Networks. He is also a senior instructor and committee member for the Critical Literature Evaluation and Research (CLEAR) course run by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Future Focus

I am exploring how to improve patient outcomes through improving the reliability, efficiency and effectiveness of research methods. I am also increasing awareness of the need to address this issue.

Specialised/Technical Skills

  • Paediatric endocrinologist
  • Meta-researcher
  • Clinical epidemiologist

Affiliations