In a recent interview with NZ Doctor, Dr Peter Moodie described himself as “fit, and in my 70s.”
Despite retiring from practice in 2019, Dr Moodie answered the call of The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioner’s Medical Director Dr Bryan Betty and agreed to take up the role of clinical advisor to answer College members’ COVID-19 questions as we headed into lockdowns and faced a lot of uncertainty around the virus.
To recognise his career that spans over four decades, and to acknowledge his work for the College during the pandemic, Dr Moodie has been awarded Distinguished Fellowship, the College’s top honour, at GP22: the Conference for General Practice.
College President Dr Samantha Murton says, “Dr Moodie’s willingness to come out of recent retirement to help the College interpret clinical COVID-19 information and respond to members’ questions in a timely, calm, and informed manner was invaluable during the height of the pandemic.
“His knowledge and experience from his long-serving career also provided extra reassurance to the members that they were receiving up-to-date information during a time when they were under immense time and workload pressure.”
Dr Moodie was one of the co-founders of Karori Medical Centre in Wellington when it moved into its purpose-built premises in 1976. For 14 years, Dr Moodie also held the role of Medical Director at Pharmac and during his tenure continued to work part-time at the clinic in Karori.
While the COVID-19 queries have slowed down, Dr Moodie hasn’t. He is still a clinical advisor for the College and continues to work with Dr Betty by writing up findings from coroner’s reports or Health and Disability Commission rulings so that New Zealand’s GPs and rural hospital doctors can learn from the experiences of others to ensure they are using best practise when it comes to their interactions with patients, colleagues, and others within the health sector.
He has also published over 30 papers in peer-reviewed journals during his career.
Distinguished Fellowship is awarded to GPs who have demonstrated sustained contributions to general practice, medicine, or the health and wellbeing of the community. This year, five GPs and one rural hospital doctor received this award at GP22: the Conference for General Practice.