2011 GPET Awards

NCGPT wwins two prestigious awards at the September 2011GPET Convention. (Press Release)

Medical Educator of the Year - Dr Christine Ahern

Dr Christine Ahern, Director of Training with North Coast GP Training (NCGPT), was awarded the 2011 Medical Educator of the Year Award by General Practice Education and Training (GPET) at their annual awards ceremony in Canberra on 8th September. This is an outstanding achievement as Dr Ahern is one of hundreds of GP Medical educators across Australia who train and mentor junior doctors and registrars throughout their general practice training.

Professor Simon Willcock, the Chairman of GPET presented Dr Ahern with her award and highlighted her exceptional and unfailing level of dedication and support to her students and fellow educators as some of the reasons she had been recognised as Medical Educator of the Year.  

Professor Willcock said Dr Ahern was dedicated to women’s health and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health training and has seen these important topics weaved into general education streams.

"She makes sure that overseas trained doctors feel welcomed and supported in their training. She cares about all the medical educators in her team, inspiring and challenging them to deliver the best possible education to registrars.”

“While all these qualities make Christine a good medical educator, what makes her exceptional is that she also imparts to registrars a sense of purpose, integrity, professional respect, with infectious enthusiasm. Her colleagues speak of her sense of humour, her compassion and her commitment to the people around her”.

The CEO of North Coast GP Training, John Langill said the award was a wonderful achievement for both Dr Ahern and NCGPT.   

“Watching Dr Ahern receive the award rates as one of the proudest moments in my professional career. It is a reflection of Christine’s enormous contribution to GP training both locally and on a national level and I can’t imagine a more deserving winner. We’ve always known that Christine was something special and now the rest of the Australian medical education community know too!”

Dr Ahern, has been Director of Training at North Coast GP Training for 7 years and has found the role challenging yet extremely satisfying. Dr Ahern said the most enjoyable part of her work was meeting and engaging with new registrars, and helping them to grow professionally.

“It is also extremely rewarding to work closely with the GP supervisors who provide most of the teaching and support. Learning to be a GP and indeed being a GP, can be very demanding at times, so providing our registrars with good role models and mentors is incredibly important. Dr Ahern said that while she was thrilled to be named Medical Educator of the Year, the award was a team effort."

“I am incredibly lucky to work with a talented team of a dozen medical educators spread from Port Macquarie to Tweed Heads. They are an extremely dedicated group who together deliver a training program that gives our registrars the very best in clinical, practical and personal GP skills”.

2011 GPET Training Provider Innovation Award

NCGPT was also awarded the 2011 GPET Training Provider Innovation Award for its practice information brochure that was produced to explain to patients the important role of accredited teaching practices in training the next generation of doctors for our communities.

These two awards are the latest in a series of awards won by the organisation, its trainers and trainees, including the GP Supervisor of the Year award in 2010 and the 2009 Rural Registrar of the Year award.

John Langill said that these awards are not only tremendous recognition for NCGPT but they are very important in promoting NCGPT as a quality regional training provider.

“It is our role to attract junior doctors to the region, and knowing that the quality of the training available on the North Coast is second to none ensures we continue to attract the best and brightest new medical recruits.”