Media release from the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners.
Six New Zealand GPs have been honoured by their peers for or exemplary and exceptional service to general practice.
The award of Distinguished Fellowship was conferred on Dr Jacqueline Allan (Papakura), Dr Ashwin Patel (Parnell), Dr
Peter Jansen, and Dr Peter Woolford (West Auckland), Dr Logan McLennan (Porirua) and Dr Tony Townsend (Whangamata).at
the College Conference that concluded in Queenstown on Saturday.
In addition, three further GPs were presented with the College's Distinguished Service Medal, for an outstanding
contribution to the aims and work of the College. They were Drs John Burton (Kawhia), Felicity Goodyear-Smith
(Auckland), Craig King (Auckland) and Errol Raumati (New Plymouth)
The citations for the four Auckland Distinguished Fellows of the College were:
Logan James Ewart McLennan
WELLINGTON
Logan McLennan is an outstanding GP and leader who has contributed at many levels. He exhibits passion and skill in his
care for patients, and is a supportive colleague who fosters teamwork even as he carries a heavy management load in his
practice.
Logan has been a teacher in the College’s GP programmes since 1980 and is a role model and mentor to his registrars. He
has served on the College’s education committee intermittently since 1983, including time as chairman.
He epitomises a Fellow of the College, encouraging collegiality within his practice and he always goes the extra step
when asked for assistance, to ensure the best possible information and outcome.
An early adopter of computer technology, Logan McLennan developed systems within his own health centre, and the
e-library for the College, and he was ever-ready to demonstrate and encourage widespread use.
As a role model, Logan McLennan demonstrates a balance in life, and is very involved with his family, in sport, and in
music.
Ashwinkumar Kanji Patel
AUCKLAND
Ashwin Patel is highly respected throughout general practice in New Zealand because of his commitment to improve the
information technology available to support best practice. He is regarded as an international expert in Medical
Informatics and electronic decision support implementation.
Born in Wellington, but trained in Otago, Wellington and Auckland, Ashwin Patel has now been in general practice over 20
years.
He developed a Practice Management System called Next Generation, now My Practice, which is intuitive, follows the
pattern of the normal consultation and adds many extras to encourage high quality care. He has now converted this to a
web-based system, the first such PMS in New Zealand with many sites, and now being piloted in South Africa and India.
Ashwin has served on a number of College information-related committees over the last 15 years, represented New Zealand
on the Wonca Informatics working party and has contributed to many conferences and workshops on issues facing general
practice.
He has chaired the College Professional Development Practice committee
He has also contributed his expertise to many health initiatives, including as a board member of the Diabetes Project
Trust in South Auckland, served on IMAC, been a trustee of the South Auckland Vision Screening Trust, a former president
of the Auckland Indian Medical Society and chair of the South-Med IPA.
Previously a GP in South Auckland, he now has his own practice in Parnell, Auckland.
Anthony Haydon Townsend
WHANGAMATA
“When I was having children, I developed a special interest in obstetrics and family planning. When my children were at
school, I learned how to teach, when my children had left home I became interested in population health and chronic
illness. I now help to look after patients in a rest home….”
Summarising an unfinished life’s work in just one paragraph was a skill Tony Townsend displayed twice as he delivered
the Oration at College conferences in both 1992 and – with that excerpt – in 2007.
Throughout his career, he has typified a good College Fellow; he first began teaching in December 1980, continuing until
he left in 1994 to spend time in academia in the United Arab Emirates. All his undergraduates were exposed to general
practice teaching from their first year of medical school; impressing their external examiners with their diagnostic and
generalist skills..
He was chair of the RNZCGP education committee from 1991-1993, after being a member from 1985, and Waikato Faculty rep
on the Council of the College from June 1988 until May 1990. A Part 1 Essay and Critical Appraisal Marker for Primex,
his four years’ service was recognised in 1994.
His arrival in Whangamata in 2001, back from the Gulf, sparked that practice to become a GPEP teaching practice, and he
was a Rural Postgraduate PGY2/3 teacher until earlier this year.
Tony Townsend was quickly invited on to the editorial board of the New Zealand Family Physician, and the following year,
in September 2002, took over the editor’s chair. He held the post for over five years, setting new benchmarks for
meeting deadlines and, more importantly, making NZFP the choice of 80 percent of his College colleagues.
In this year’s annual report, his stepping down is noted, with the postscript:
“His contributions to the College and his community over years have been enormous. We hope it has not finished
completely.”
Peter Raymond Woolford
AUCKLAND
Peter Woolford has contributed to assessment processes in the College over many years. He led the group that produced
written questions for Primex for the first four years and in his role, he was a member of the Primex committee. He ably
led the Applied Knowledge 2 committee through a restructuring of the exam format.
Peter has been a Primex examiner in Auckland since 1990, examining for 16 years – and he has always gone out of his way
to assist staff with the setup and running of the exam, including helping to tidy up afterwards.
Peter Woolford has a special interest in Palliative Care. He has always been available to his peers for wise counsel at
any time their palliative patients needed it
He represented RNZCGP on the Palliative Care Advisory Committee from February 2007, startling specialist committee
members with research into the numbers of palliative care patients treated within general practice, and at how low a
cost. It changed many perceptions of the role GPs carry in the fight against cancer.
Peter now has a new project that will provide West Auckland with a state of the art medical centre that espouses his
philosophy of what is general practice. His peers look forward to working with him for many years to come, with plenty
of discussion about medicine resolved over a glass of red wine, and maybe catching that first snapper off his front
lawn.
Peter Martin Jansen
AUCKLAND
Peter Jansen, Ngati Raukawa, is a motivator when it comes to general practice; as a teacher, researcher and health
management advisor for Mauri Ora Associates, who also assists the Treatment Injury and Patient Safety Unit of ACC on a
part-time basis as Medical Advisor. Peter has significant experience as a GP in Papakura and Whangamata and was formerly
Medical Director of Boehringer Ingelheim (NZ) Limited, a multi-national pharmaceutical company.
Peter is a member of the Ministry of Health's Performance Advisory Group for primary care and of Te Roopu Manawa Mai
(the ACC Māori Advisory Board) and has published a number of papers relating to cultural competence in health care. He
helped lead the project to produce the RNZCGP guidelines on Cultural Competence that were launched at the 2007 College
Conference in Rotorua.
Peter's previous appointments have included Deputy Chair of Counties Manukau DHB, Board Member of Mid-Central Health.
Peter was also an inaugural director of ProCare IPA, director of Quality Health NZ (formerly the NZ Council of
Healthcare Standards), and Clinical Director of Te Kupenga o Hoturoa PHO. Peter was also an inaugural Member of the
National Advisory Group for the Development and Implementation of Guidelines (National Health Committee, 1995-1996).
Dr Jansen was instrumental in setting up Te ORA, the Maori Medical Practitioners Association and Te Akoranga a Maui, the
Māori Faculty of the College. Peter Jansen brings energy and innovation to the art of general practice.
Jacqueline Sherburd Te Makahi Allan
AUCKLAND
Dr Jacqueline Sherburd Te Makahi Allan (Kati Mamoe ki Rakiura, Kai Tahu) is a well respected general practitioner who
has served the community in South Auckland for many years, with a particular interest in Māori health.
She has both teaching and medical qualifications, and over the past two decades has served, and still serves, on many
professional committees and advisory boards.
Jacqueline co-founded, and was the medical director of, Tipu Ora — the Māori Mother and Child Health Organisation and is
involved in the Women’s Health League. She has been involved in the establishment of a number of other community Maori
health initiatives.
She took a year out of her practice to serve as a commissioner on the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification.
A rural upbringing and a large whanau spread throughout all three islands keeps her in touch with issues all over New
Zealand. A love of outdoor life takes her fly-fishing into some of our remote rivers, for solitude and relaxation.
Dr Allan was a founding member of Te ORA (Te Ohu Rata o Aotearoa, the Māori Medical Practitioners Association) and is
currently mentoring, teaching and examining young Māori doctors in general practice.
Jacqueline Allan represents the RNZCGP Māori Faculty, Te Akoranga a Maui as a member of the College executive committee.
Mihi atu ki a koe.
ends