Queen’s Birthday honour for surgeon and student mentor

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FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 2017

Queen’s Birthday honour for surgeon and student mentor

Professor Peter Gilling, a top surgeon and mentor to medical students at Tauranga Hospital, has been recognised in the 2017 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Professor Gilling was appointed as a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his contributions to medicine on Monday.

A leading urologist based at the Bay of Plenty DHB, he is also a Professor of Surgery at the University of Auckland and heads the University’s academic site at Tauranga Hospital.

He introduced many advanced surgical treatments into New Zealand including open, laparoscopic and robotic approaches to common urological conditions, and is nationally and internationally known for the research and treatment of prostate disease, particularly Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) and Cancer of the Prostate.

He is also passionate about developing the next generation of health professionals. Since 2007 he has headed the Bay of Plenty Clinical School. The site provides valuable training to University of Auckland medical students in the unique demands of regional and rural health.

The University's medical programme leader Professor Warwick Bagg praised Professor Gilling’s commitment to mentoring our future doctors in the importance of regional healthcare.

“Peter Gilling has championed the efforts of expanding medical student learning into regional and rural areas. He has been instrumental in establishing the Bay of Plenty DHB as a clinical teaching site and in hosting medical students in Tauranga and Whakatane,” Professor Bagg says.

Nearly all University of Auckland medical students complete regional and rural placements, gaining an increased awareness of the benefits and challenges of working rurally. This year there are 58 University of Auckland medical students based at Tauranga Hospital in years four, five and six of their medical degrees. Many will spend three months of their year-long placement at Whakatane Hospital, and in local GP practices.

Professor Gilling was born and raised in Christchurch, graduated from the University of Otago in 1982, and has worked in Tauranga since 1992.

In 2014 he was named one of the world's top ten experts in the research and treatment of prostatic enlargement, also known as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. In 2016 he was promoted to Professor at the University of Auckland.

He is also Head of the Clinical Trials Unit for the Bay of Plenty DHB, where he continues to research and develop new treatment options for patients for a variety of urological conditions.

Professor Gilling says he is humbled and honoured to receive the award which is a reflection of the support, encouragement and assistance that he has received from colleagues, family and friends.

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