Dr Barbara Jones, a GP from Montville, QLD, has won the Royal Australian General Practitioners’ (RACGP) National Rural Faculty’s (NRF) Brian Williams Award for 2014.
The Brian Williams Award is the highest accolade to be awarded by the RACGP National Rural Faculty (NRF) and is awarded to a member of the RACGP who has made a significant contribution to the personal and professional welfare of rural doctors.
Presenting the award at the RACGP Academic Session at the GP14 conference in Adelaide, National Rural Faculty Chair, Dr Kathy Kirkpatrick said Dr Jones was a truly worthy recipient of the Brian Williams Award.
“Dr Jones is a highly respected and valued leader and community member who has guided students, registrars and international medical graduates into general practice careers in regional, rural and remote locations across Australia,” said Dr Kirkpatrick.
“Dr Jones spent many years practising in North Queensland, supporting her GP colleagues and mentoring many International Medical Graduates to Fellowship of the RACGP.
“As a medical educator with the Family Medicine Program and RACGP Training Program, Dr Jones guided trainees and registrars throughout their training and maintained links with these GPs post training.”
Through her association with the James Cook University, Dr Jones has facilitated numerous medical students’ engagement with rural general practice.
“Dr Jones is committed to ensuring positive early exposure to rural general practice, resulting in greater uptake of registrar positions in these communities,” said Dr Kirkpatrick.
“Dr Jones has gone above and beyond the call of duty for the RACGP over the years in her capacity as Chair of the Queensland Faculty, Censor for the North Queensland Sub–Faculty, Chair of the Preventive and Community Medicine Committee and as a member of the first NSC-Education committee.”
Upon learning she had been chosen as the 2014 recipient of the Brian Williams Award, Dr Jones said she was deeply appreciative and thanked the RACGP for selecting her to receive this honour.
“The RACGP has played a large role in my life and I am committed to upholding its values by emphasising the value of the GP-patient relationship as well as the importance of GP self-care, particularly in the rural setting.”
“Rural and remote general practice is not without its challenges but the rewards are plentiful and it is vital that our generation of GPs assist junior doctors to approach training in these communities with an open mind.”
For more information on GP14 – The RACGP’s annual conference for general practice, taking place from 9-11 October in Adelaide, visit the GP14 website.