Dr Nina Bevin joins College of GP’s Board as new apprentice

Dr Nina Bevin (Waikato-Tainui) has been announced as the new Board Apprentice of The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners. The appointment was announced by College President Dr Samantha Murton at the College’s AGM on 25 July 2020.

The Board Apprentice is a contestable role designed to give GP members of the College an opportunity to be supported in gaining health governance experience.

President Dr Samantha Murton said, “The governance, administrative, advocacy, and high-level decision-making experience Dr Bevin will gain in her role as Board Apprentice will add to her clinical experience as a working GP and open further opportunities in her health career.

“Dr Bevin is an ambitious and accomplished doctor who was a stand-out candidate for her experience, commitment to public health, and deep thinking about the role of general practitioners in a healthy society.”

Dr Bevin is currently living in New Haven, Connecticut, USA where she was most recently awarded a Masters in Public Health from Yale University.

Dr Bevin says, “My ambition [with further study and the Board Apprentice role] was to acquire theoretical skills to complement my clinical experience with the view to potentially getting involved in health administration roles.”

Dr Bevin has worked in general practice for 10 years, a speciality she said she chose “by accident, not design” but one that she loves, and that fits well with her upbringing where working together and making a contribution to the community was highly valued and encouraged.

“Being a GP means I get the value of ongoing patient/whānau-doctor relationships and I can work in the community,” she says.

“The passion and wisdom of Māori GPs like Dr Paratene Ngata and Dr Tony Ruakere taught me that being a GP is more than just a job.”

Dr Bevin’s term as Board Apprentice commences on 26 July 2020 with her first Board meeting taking place in August. She will return to live in New Zealand in September. The College’s previous Board Apprentice was Dr Jason Tuhoe (Hauraki, Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Pikiao) of Tokoroa.

Dr Bevin has a Masters in Public Health (Yale University, 2019), Post graduate Diploma in Industrial Health with Distinction (Otago University, 2010), Post graduate Diploma in Business Administration (2007), and a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (Otago University, 2004). She has been a Fellow of The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners since 2011.