Rate My Professor Alex Feberwee

Dr. Alexander Feberwee serves as a Senior Professional Practice Fellow and Co-ordinator for Ashburton in the Rural Medical Immersion Programme at the University of Otago. He is affiliated with the Centre for Rural Health within the Faculty of Medicine, Health Sciences Division, and the Department of General Practice and Rural Health at the Dunedin School of Medicine, where he has held his academic appointment since 2017. Originally from South Africa, Feberwee grew up on a farm in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, where his father operated a solo general practice. He completed his secondary schooling in Durban and pursued medical training at the University of Pretoria, obtaining his MB ChB degree. He further qualified with a Postgraduate Certificate in Clinician-Performed Ultrasound (PGCertCPU) from the University of Otago, Fellowship of the Division of Rural Hospital Medicine New Zealand (FDRHMNZ), and a Diploma in Medical Ultrasound. His career began with positions in the United Kingdom, following his brother, before relocating to New Zealand as a medical registrar at Invercargill Hospital. Since 2007, he has worked at Ashburton Hospital as a rural hospital specialist.

In his role at the University of Otago, Feberwee contributes significantly to medical education in rural health settings. He teaches resident medical officers and visiting medical students utilizing a simulation laboratory as part of the Rural Medical Immersion Programme. This programme facilitates immersive training for students in rural contexts, with Ashburton serving as one of the key teaching centres. Feberwee has engaged in public discourse on rural health issues, including a 2020 statement alongside University of Otago rural health specialists warning that the COVID-19 pandemic could exacerbate rural-urban health inequities. They emphasized the need for adequate personal protective equipment, support for rural services, and measures to mitigate risks in district health boards. Additionally, Feberwee co-authored the article 'Transition of the medical model of care at Ashburton hospital over 10 years: the perspective of rural generalists' published in the New Zealand Medical Journal in 2020, drawing from his experience as a Rural Hospital Medicine Fellow. His work underscores the transition towards rural generalist models in New Zealand's rural hospitals.