Professor Tim Stokes is a firm believer in the power of collaborative leadership. He is holding the Charles Bridges-Webb Medal, which he received in recognition of his outstanding leadership in primary care research.
Collaboration is key in research and in leadership, says Otago Professor Tim Stokes.
In July, Tim was awarded the Australasian Association for Academic Primary Care’s (AAAPC) prestigious Charles Bridges-Webb Medal. The medal is presented to academics of international standing for making an outstanding contribution to leadership in primary care research in Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand.
“Research is above all a collaborative endeavour. I’d say the same about leadership too,” Tim says.
“Working collectively is an important part of collaboration. I believe in the importance of ‘we’, not ‘I’. You’re there to serve the team and the common purpose. A good team is more than the sum of its parts.”
Tim, who is based in the Faculty of Medicine – Dunedin, holds the Elaine Gurr Chair of General Practice and is a part-time GP.
He is the only Otago staff member to have received the medal since it was first awarded in 2008, and joins a list of senior, highly cited academics.
A former Vice-President and President of the AAAPC, Tim says what’s “most fantastic” about receiving the medal is that it is from his peers.
“It’s so nice to have that affirmation.”
While an academic GP in the United Kingdom, Tim was a member of the Society for Academic Primary Care, which aims to advance academic primary care in the UK. When he took up his Otago role in 2014, he was keen to make links with the equivalent organisation in this part of the world – the AAAPC.
During his acceptance speech for the Charles Bridges-Webb Medal, Professor Tim Stokes reflects on his career as a primary care academic.
Tim says Aotearoa has a small critical mass of researchers in primary care and it’s important to establish international links. He really enjoys working with the association and collaborating with colleagues across the Tasman.
In terms of his research, Tim is currently finalising research papers on the evaluation of New Zealand’s Pae Ora health reforms, which replaced district health boards with Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora.
In recent years, he has also collaborated with Otago’s Centre for Rural Health on research into rural health systems with the aim of the work to improve the quality of care for people living rurally.
Tim says that at this stage of his career, succession planning is important.
“I’m doing my best to mentor and support the next generation of academic leaders in primary care.”
AAAPC Vice-President Professor Andrew Bonney presented Tim with the Charles Bridges-Webb Medal at the association’s Annual Research Conference, held at the University of Wollongong, Australia on 20 July.
Dr Charles Bridges-Webb was an Australian GP who went on to become an international figure in general practice research.
- Kōrero by Andrea Jones, Team Leader, Divisional Communications
Faculty of Medicine - Dunedin
The Faculty of Medicine's Dunedin region is based on the Dunedin Campus of the University of Otago. It is home to nine diverse academic departments.
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