Katharine Wallis

Professor Katharine Wallis is the Mayne Professor and Head of the Mayne Academy of General Practice and Head of the General Practice Clinical Unit at the University of Queensland Medical School. She is a clinically active general practitioner and Fellow of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine and the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners. Her research focuses on safer prescribing practices, particularly antidepressant use and deprescribing in general practice, and older driver medical assessment. She leads the RELEASE program addressing long-term antidepressant use and the 3-Domains screening toolkit for older drivers. Professor Wallis also directs the UQGP Research network and is Queensland Academic Lead for the PARTNER network supporting rural clinical trials.

Education

• MBChB, University of Otago
• PhD, University of Otago
• Master of Bioethics and Health Law (Distinction), University of Otago
• Diploma of Obstetrics, University of Otago

Key Research Interests

Professor Wallis’ work emphasizes improving patient safety through interventions targeting safer medication practices, deprescribing strategies, and optimizing care for older adults. Her projects include evaluating antidepressant prescribing trends, developing evidence-based guidelines for older driver assessments, and exploring healthcare harms in primary care. She has led large-scale trials like the RELEASE study and contributed to international collaborations on deprescribing practices across 31 countries.

Funding & Grants

• NHMRC Partnership Projects (RELEASE+)
• Motor Accident Insurance Commission (3-Domains toolkit)
• Medical Research Future Fund (PARTNER network)

Teams & Networks

Founder of UQGP Research, Queensland Lead for PARTNER network, and member of the Oxford International Primary Care Research Leadership Programme.