Dr Geraldine Wilson; the College’s new Board Apprentice

Congratulations to Dr Geraldine Wilson, the College’s new Board Apprentice. The appointment was announced by President Dr Samantha Murton at the College’s Annual General Meeting in July 2022. 

Geraldine leads a busy life as a mother of four school aged boys, a GP at University of Canterbury Health Centre, a contributor to healthcare research, clinical senior lecturer and up until recently, Chairperson of her sons’ school board. 

“I’m busy yes, but very much enjoy the variety – I learned a huge amount in my governance role on our school board and I’m keen to expand that knowledge by moving to a governance organisation in the healthcare sector,” Geraldine says. 

Geraldine hopes to learn a lot and contribute to the direction of general practice at what she describes as a ‘pivotal time’ for the primary care sector. 

“In the wake of the pandemic, there are decisions to be made about future directions and changes to how primary care operates, for example the ongoing role of telehealth, and our relationship with an overloaded secondary care system.” 

Raised in Kaikoura, Geraldine began her career in hospitals, working in Australia before returning to Christchurch and beginning her General Practice Education Programme training in 2003.  

“I’ve had diverse experiences in my career so far, from rural hospitals to urban practices, and this variety combined with my work teaching medical students and doing clinical research allows me to consider issues from a number of different perspectives.” 

Geraldine hopes her unique perspective will be valuable to the Board, but mostly expects that this will be a learning opportunity for her at a time when her interest in healthcare governance is high. 

“I’m looking forward to learning more about the College’s strategic goals. I think the College will play a vital role in helping to direct the future of general practice and I’m really eager to be a part of that process,” Geraldine says.