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24 July 2023
Dr Jo Scott-Jones, an Ōpōtiki-based GP and a strong advocate for rural health has been awarded Distinguished Fellowship of The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners at its annual conference (on Saturday 22 July) in Auckland.
He has worked as a GP in Ōpōtiki, Bay of Plenty since 1992 and is a well-known and respected clinician and engaged teacher to the next generation of GPs and rural hospital doctors.
College President Dr Samantha Murton says, “Dr Scott-Jones is an inspiring and passionate GP, and I have admired his joy of general practice podcasts, which celebrate the joys of our role even when the job can be hard.
“His focus on equity within general practice, his rural medicine perspective and his teaching of new registrars means he can often see the bigger picture about how the many facets of the workforce can work collaboratively and provide the best patient care in a culturally safe manner.”
Dr Scott-Jones is a member of rural practice advocacy groups, he served as Chair of the Rural Health Alliance Aotearoa and has been a member of the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) working party on rural practice.
Since 2016, Dr Scott-Jones has been the clinical director for Pinnacle, where he provides a voice for specialist general practitioners within the leadership team as well as on local, regional and national health organisations.
This year, five College Fellows received Distinguished Fellowship which is awarded for outstanding service to the College or Division of Rural Hospital Medicine’s work and for making a sustained contribution to general practice, medicine, or the health and wellbeing of the community.
GP23: the Conference for General Practice was held from 21-23 July in Auckland.
Several Pinnacle GPs became New Fellows DRHM (Division of Rural Hospital Medicine) of the RNZCGP. We are pleased to congratulate:
Pinnacle also congratulates Dr Claire Russel, a Te Whatu Ora Waikato GP liaison, who received a Community Service Medal.
Dr Russel is an experienced primary care clinician having worked within both rural and urban practice, as well as urgent care. Strong advocacy for the sector and patients has led Dr Russell into several clinical directorship roles, clinical governance and mentoring.
She was Clinical Director of Waikato’s COVID-19 directorate helping to lead the pandemic response across the region. She played a significant role in the development and implementation of the primary care component of the “Waikato Way”, a Manaaki-first, equity and whānau-based pandemic response, supporting our priority, rural and diverse populations in a way that suited their needs.
Dr Russell was a member of the first all-woman crewed racing yacht “Maiden” in the 1989-90 Whitbread Round the World Race and her story features in the 2018 documentary, “Maiden”.
12 June 2026
On Thursday 11 June, Ministers Simeon Brown and Matt Doocey confirmed the clinical placement regions for the New Zealand Graduate School of Medicine (NZGSM), a significant milestone for primary care and the rural health workforce across Aotearoa.
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8 June 2026
A Taupō general practice is helping lead the way in culturally confident care, becoming the first practice outside Pinnacle Midlands Health Network’s original pilot sites to fully adopt the PHO’s Tikanga in Practice resources and training.
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6 May 2026
Small, practical system changes can make a meaningful difference in asthma care. What we’re learning from quality improvement in Taranaki.
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