Rate My Professor William (Mark) Lankshear

Dr William (Mark) Lankshear is a Senior Professional Practice Fellow at the Centre for Rural Health, University of Otago, where he serves as Paper Co-convener for GENA 725: Reflections in Rural Clinical Practice, part of the Rural Doctor Network Programme. Based in Kerikeri as a rural doctor, he contributes his clinical expertise to the centre's efforts to improve healthcare and health outcomes for rural and remote communities across New Zealand and the wider South Pacific. The Centre for Rural Health, affiliated with the Division of Health Sciences, emphasises teaching and research excellence based on principles of social accountability and community engagement. It delivers a range of programmes including the Rural Postgraduate Programme, Rural Medical Immersion Programme, Continuing Medical Education activities, Rural Interprofessional Simulation Course, and the Rural Health Academic Centre in Ashburton, targeting rural generalist doctors such as general practitioners and rural hospital doctors.

In his extensive career, Dr Lankshear has established himself as a committed specialist general practitioner and rural hospital doctor in Northland. He held the position of Medical Director for Hauora Hokianga / Hokianga Health Enterprise Trust from 2015 until 2023, a tenure of seven and a half years during which he led the clinical team through the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and ongoing workforce shortages, implementing a distributed clinical leadership model. He remains actively involved in upholding high standards of care at the Trust and in local clinics. Demonstrating a keen interest in medical education, Dr Lankshear engages in various workforce development initiatives, notably participating in the University of Otago's Rural Hospital Medicine Training Programme. He shares his specialised knowledge in de-escalation techniques and mental health, conducting on-site orientations for fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-year medical students, registrars, and new staff members (kaimahi). Additionally, he played a key role in the establishment of the Takapau Wananga programme, a significant inter-professional rural health education initiative developed in partnership with the University of Auckland. His leadership extends to committee service on the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners' Northland faculty board, the Clinical Governance Committee of Te Tai Tokerau Primary Health Organisation (PHO), and the Rural Service Level Alliance team. In recognition of his outstanding and inspiring contributions to general practice, particularly in rural settings, Dr Lankshear was awarded the Distinguished Fellowship—the College's highest honour—in July 2024.