Geoff Appleton, President, BC Medical Association (2007/2008)

Dr Geoff Appleton's Inaugural Speech BCMA AGM June 23, 2007

Originally from Lancashire, England, Dr. Geoff Appleton is a family physician in Terrace, British Columbia. Since 1974, Dr. Appleton has enjoyed the beauty of the Skeena River and taking care of his patients in this rural community. Dr. Appleton received his medical degree from Edinburgh Medical School, but chose to come to British Columbia for additional training in pediatrics. He spent one year in pediatric residency at Vancouver General Hospital, and then decided to explore BC’s north and accepted a one year GP locum in Terrace. Upon completion he returned to Britain to complete his education and start practice.

However, after only three months he realized he’d made a mistake and now says, “It’s good to go back, because it’s not how you remember it.”

He returned to BC and chose to take over a practice in Terrace because of the equality and mutual respect he found among the physicians there, and because working in a more isolated community meant he had the opportunity to branch out in to other areas of practice such as general surgery. That was 33 years ago and he has never looked back.

Being a physician in a small town there are unique challenges to rural practice – fewer resources, fewer specialists, and more isolation than in the urban areas. Wanting to find some solutions, Dr. Appleton became a BCMA Board Member, and began work on numerous committees.

He found these different challenges very stimulating, and felt he benefited a lot. Twenty years later, Dr. Appleton thought it was time to give something back, and decided to take on the President’s role and make his contribution to the profession.

During his year as president, Dr. Appleton has three areas in which would like to make a difference. Having a united profession means a lot to Dr. Appleton, and is his key priority. He is very concerned about the growing detachment between GPs and specialists, and urges physicians to work together towards the common goal – excellent patient care.

His second priority is to continue to improve the relationship physicians have with government. Working with government on many committees, especially this past year, has helped break down old barriers and made for a more stable relationship. Dr. Appleton knows that making sure that relationship continues will benefit both physicians and their patients.

His final priority concerns mentoring medical students and developing their skills to be leaders in their profession, to be advocates for improving in health care, and to become actively involved with the BCMA. Dr. Appleton is a good listener and thrives on problem solving – qualities necessary to ensure the success of his goals.

Dr. Appleton is married to Gayle and has five grown children who are spread out across the globe. For fun, Dr. Appleton likes to fish, ski, take his boat out on the ocean, camp, and travel.



 

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