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Rural health professionals recognised with Awards

Two dedicated rural health professionals were recognised with Awards from the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners at the GP22 Conference.

Dr Gayle O’Duffy, a long-serving South Canterbury general practitioner was awarded a Community Service Medal by The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners for her dedicated service to the Methven community.

The Community Service Medal recognises members who have made an outstanding contribution to general practice through work in their own communities.

Dr O’Duffy has been a rural general practitioner at Methven Medical Centre for over 30 years and has helped develop the practice to meet the changing needs of the community. She has been a teacher for those who are training to become a general practitioner or rural hospital doctor and established a remote rural peer group for rural GPs in the South Canterbury region.

Previously, Dr O’Duffy held long-serving leadership roles at Pegasus Health Primary Health Organisation (PHO).

Dr Nina Stupples was awarded the Eric Elder Medal for her dedication to rural health in Westport where she has worked for 13 years.
This medal is awarded in honour of Dr Eric Elder, who was an inspired rural GP affectionately known as the grandfather of vocational training in New Zealand.
Dr Stupples has been instrumental in developing Rural Hospital Medicine in New Zealand and has been the Chair of the Rural Hospital Division from 2010 until 2014. She has mentored many registrars in Westport, alongside her day-to-day practice and involvement with the Division, and she also teaches students in the Rural postgraduate programme at the University of Otago. New Zealand rural health has benefitted from Nina’s hard work and dedication to the profession.