Honorary Fellowship awarded for commitment to GP workforce through education and research

The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners would like to congratulate Dr Lesley Gray on receiving honorary Fellowship.

Honorary Fellowship of the College is awarded to individuals of distinction who have made an outstanding contribution to general practice or the medical profession in general. These recipients do not need to be graduates of medicine.

Dr Gray gained her Masters in Public Health (Glasgow) and Master of Science in Interprofessional Collaboration (London) before being awarded Fellowship of the UK Faculty of Public Health. She has over 30 years' experience establishing services in Public Health and Primary Care and held lecturing roles with Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry prior to immigrating to New Zealand.

Since 2008, Dr Gray has been an academic in the Department of Primary Health Care and General Practice for the University of Otago (Wellington). Over this time, she has supported over 1,500 final year medical students through their six-week immersion GP module in her role as Module Convenor, and routinely supports around 45 general practices each year to host the students, from Wellington to Whanganui and across as far north as Tairāwhiti.

College President Dr Samantha Murton says, “Dr Gray’s passion for education and research shows her dedication to general practice and rural hospital medicine, which is crucial as we work hard to build a well-resourced and sustainable workforce.

“Ensuring medical students get a first-hand look at what it is truly like to work in primary care, seeing the diversity of patients and the sheer volume of knowledge we draw upon is so important if we are to continue growing our own GPs and rural hospital doctors.

“Her research provides our members with resources and information on a wide range of topics that enhance our own learning, practice, and education, and the College will benefit from having Dr Gray as an honorary Fellow.”

Dr Gray’s research has been published in close to 60 externally peer-reviewed Journals, including many in the College’s own Journal of Primary Health Care (JPHC) and has covered collaborative teamwork, medicines management, health equity and COVID-19, gender diversity, weight stigma and bias and interprofessional education.