The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) has named Darwin General Practitioner Dr Simone Raye as the NT GP of the Year for 2025.
Each year, the awards acknowledge GPs, registrars, and practices and practice teams who make an outstanding contribution to the health and wellbeing of their communities. The winners for 2025 are:
- Northern Territory GP of the Year: Dr Simone Raye, a Medical Educator and GP based at Pandanus Medical in Darwin.
- Northern Territory GP Supervisor of the Year: Dr Laura Wood, who currently supports two Registrars in the remote community of Wadeye.
- Northern Territory GP in Training of the Year: Dr Arullan Naidoo, a recently fellowed GP working for NT Health Health across Top End remote communities.
- Northern Territory General Practice of the Year: Manayingkarirra Primary Health Care Centre (Mala'la Health Service Aboriginal Corporation)
RACGP Northern Territory Chair Dr Sam Heard has congratulated this year's award recipients, celebrating their vital contributions to the health and wellbeing of Territorians.
"These awards showcase the incredible work being done by GPs and their teams across the Territory," he said.
"This year's winners are outstanding individuals who not only deliver high-quality care to their patients but also strengthen the health of their communities, particularly in a place as diverse and geographically vast as the Northern Territory.
"The winners and their fellow nominees are fantastic examples of the dedication, leadership, and innovation that define general practice. Their work is shaping the future of healthcare in NT, we're incredibly proud to recognise their impact."
NT GP of the Year, Dr Simone Raye was born in Darwin and is a proud Bardi/Jabbir Jabbir woman whose family are from the Dampier Peninsula in the Kimberley. Since graduating medicine from the University of Newcastle in 2000, she returned to Darwin to work at the Royal Darwin Hospital as a junior doctor before completing her GP Training in the NT. Simone has lived and worked on Larrakia land for most of her life and currently works as a GP treating patients at Pandanus Medical in Darwin, as well as teaching the next generation of GPs, and advocating for cultural safety and holistic care in the health system.
Dr Heard noted that "Dr Simone Raye has made an outstanding contribution to promoting & advancing healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people both as clients and healthcare providers."
Alongside her significant leadership roles in chairing Indigenous GP Registrars Network (IGPRN), helping establish and the Australian Indigenous Doctors Alliance (AIDA) and later taking on its presidency, and as a Board Director of the NT Primary Health Network; Dr Raye has maintained a focus on providing exceptional clinical care to her patients, and educational support to GPs in Training.
Dr Raye said: "It is an absolute honour to receive this award. To be recognised by your peers is so humbling.
"I am deeply grateful for the support and encouragement of my family, and also to my 'work family' at AIDA, RACGP and Pandanus Medical who have all created culturally safe places for me to do my work.
"I love my job. Pandanus Medical is predominantly a teaching practice, with a focus on cultural safety that recognises both the diversity of the Ps there, as well as the diversity of the community that we serve. No two days or two patients are the same, and it is an absolute honour to be trusted with the care of multiple generations of families.
"I hope that my winning this award provides encouragement to young people from diverse backgrounds that aspire to a career in General Practice that there is a place for them in our profession. The diversity of our GPs means we are better able to support the diversity of the community we provide care for. I hope that I have broken down some of the stereotypes."
Dr Heard noted that "Dr Simone Raye has quietly made an enormous impact over many decades and is a very worthy recipient of this recognition."
The NT General Practice of the Year has been awarded to Mala'la Health Services Aboriginal Corporation's Manayingkarirra Primary Health Care Centre which provides exceptional culturally safe comprehensive primary health care services utilising multi-disciplinary care teams under a First Nations people led model of health service control. The clinic operates in the remote community of Maningrida providing extended hours urgent care and community health programs alongside regular patient consultations.
Dr Sam Heard noted "Mala'la Health Services Aboriginal Corporation, and their exceptional clinic team are to be congratulated on the breadth and quality of service that they provide to their community in Maningrida."
The GP Supervisor of the Year has been awarded to RACGP Rural Generalist Dr Laura Wood who has done an exceptional job inspiring and mentoring two registrars in the challenging remote community of Wadeye.
Dr Sam Heard noted that "Dr Wood has supported GP Registrars to not only navigate the complexities of health care in the remote context, but to thrive professionally. She has clinically upskilled to meet the needs of community while advocating for systems improvement & for her patients, demonstrating a commitment to quality supervision and to the community.
The GP in Training of the Year has been awarded to Dr Arullan Naidoo who has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to learning. With qualifications and experience as a pharmacist and in public health behind him, Dr Naidoo has focused on improving his General Practice skills and completing his Rural Generalist qualification - completing all of his training in the Northern Territory.
Dr Sam Heard noted that "Dr Naidoo continues to be an exceptional role model and mentor for junior doctors and medical students and has demonstrated his commitment to caring for vulnerable communities in the Northern Territory."
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