Rate My Professor Clare French

Dr Clare French is a Senior Professional Practice Fellow in the Division of Health Sciences at the University of Otago, Dunedin. She was appointed in 2022 to the Department of General Practice and Rural Health. Dr French holds the position of Co-ordinator, Wairarapa, and is listed as Senior Professional Practice Fellow, Assistant Co-ordinator Wairarapa in the Rural Medical Immersion Programme (RMIP) within the Centre for Rural Health. This programme provides medical students with immersion experiences in rural medical practice. She qualified with an MD and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS). Dr French trained at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, where she obtained her medical education. She completed her general surgery residency at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle from June 2013 to June 2018.

In her clinical practice, Dr French is a rural general surgeon and serves as Consultant General Surgeon at Te Whatu Ora Wairarapa, based in Masterton, New Zealand. Previously noted as a locum specialist general surgeon in Masterton, she is identified as a surgically internationally medically graduated (SIMG) consultant general surgeon trained in the USA contributing to rural surgical teams. Dr French has a particular interest in the high complexity of coordination and multidisciplinary work necessary to care for rural patients. She co-authored the clinical correspondence 'A rare case of localised gastrointestinal vasculitis in a New Zealand patient' published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, volume 138, issue 1626, on November 21, 2025. Through her roles, Dr French supports both rural healthcare delivery and the education of future rural medical practitioners at the University of Otago.