Awards

The College Awards recognise the hard-work and dedication of exceptional general practitioners and rural hospital doctors.

College nominated awards

The College Awards Committee reviews and discusses the nominations and decides which award a nominee will receive, if any.

  • Distinguished Fellowship

    Awarded for outstanding service to the College or Division’s work, or the science or practice of medicine. Distinguished Fellows embody our motto 'cum scientia caritas' – with knowledge, compassion,’ and have made sustained contributions to general practice, medicine, or the health and wellbeing of the community. Note: To become a Distinguished Fellow, the nominee must have been a Fellow for at least five years. Distinguished Fellowship may be awarded posthumously.

  • President's Service Medal

    Recognises an outstanding contribution to the College or Division. For example: as a Faculty or Chapter committee member, medical educator, or long-standing employee.

  • Community Service Medal

    Recognises members who have made an outstanding contribution to general practice through work in their own communities.

  • Honorary Fellowship

    Awarded  to individuals of distinction who have made an outstanding contribution to general practice or the medical profession in general. These people do not need to be graduates of medicine.

Division nominated award

  • James Reid Award

    For a rural medical practitioner or trainee (doctors and other medical professionals) who has demonstrated excellence or innovation related to education or research in rural health.

Memorial categories

  • Eric Elder Medal

    The Eric Elder Medal is awarded in honour of Dr Eric Elder, who was an inspirational rural GP affectionately known as the grandfather of vocational training in New Zealand. The medal is generally awarded to a rural general practitioner.

  • Amjad Hamid Medal

    The Amjad Hamid Medal is awarded in honour of Dr Amjad Hamid who was killed in the 2019 Christchurch terrorist attack. The medal recognises the top student of the University of Otago's GENA 728 paper, which is Cardiorespiratory Medicine in Rural Hospitals. Dr Hamid, a heart doctor, was a member of the College’s Division of Rural Hospital Medicine.

  • Humphrey Rainey Medal

    The Humphrey Rainey Prize for Excellence is awarded to the top candidate overall across the General Practice Education Programme (GPEP) clinical and written examination.

  • Peter Anyon Medal

    The Peter Anyon Memorial Address is given by a GPEP2 registrar at the College’s annual conference. The presentation is given in memory of Dr Peter Anyon, who is recognised as having made an important and valuable contribution to the vocational education of general practitioners.

Dr Sandhya Ramanathan
Dr Sandhya Ramanathan walks into the College awards ceremony in 2021. She was awarded a Community Service Medal for her work educating people via YouTube about COVID-19.