Rate My Professor Emma Boddington

Dr Emma Boddington is a Senior Professional Practice Fellow in the Centre for Rural Health, Faculty of Medicine, Health Sciences Division at the University of Otago. She holds the position of RMIP Co-Director (Student Support) for the Rural Medical Immersion Programme (RMIP), a one-year academic programme for fifth-year medical students focused on experiential learning in rural healthcare. Students participate in small groups based in rural areas, following patients through general practice and rural hospital settings under the guidance of general practitioners, rural hospital generalists, visiting specialists, and other healthcare team members. Boddington has been involved with RMIP since its first year, progressing through various roles, and also serves as Co-Director for the West Coast region in Health Sciences. Her contributions include student support, regional coordination, and facilitating rural health careers workshops, such as those at ECCO 2025.

As a general practitioner based on the West Coast, Boddington brings frontline clinical experience to her academic work. She grew up and qualified as a doctor in Birmingham, the third largest city in the UK, before coming to Aotearoa New Zealand over 20 years ago on a sabbatical to Grey Base Hospital, where she worked as a junior doctor. She was drawn to the variety of work, absence of workplace hierarchy, and a community that values individuals beyond their earnings. Her leisure activities on the Coast include diving, golf, surfing, and gold mining. Through her leadership in RMIP and Centre for Rural Health, Boddington supports efforts to build rural healthcare workforce capacity and promote rural medicine among future practitioners. She is mentioned in key Faculty of Medicine appointments and contributes to medical education modules.