A Rural Generalist doctor who has dedicated her career to caring for the Inverell community and training the next generation of medical professionals has been named the Rural Doctors Association of Australia’s (RDAA) Rural Doctor of the Year for 2025.
Dr Cheryl McIntyre received the national honour at the Rural Medicine Australia (RMA25) Conference Dinner in Perth. The award, one of the most prestigious in rural health, is supported by the Rural Doctors Foundation.
RDAA President Dr Sarah Chalmers said Dr McIntyre was an outstanding example of rural medical dedication.
“Cheryl is a remarkable doctor and a highly deserving recipient of this prestigious award,” Dr Chalmers said.
“She has served the people of Inverell and region as a Rural Generalist for more than 25 years, working both in her general practice and at the local hospital.”
“As a Rural Generalist Obstetrician, she has consistently gone above and beyond to ensure local women can continue to give birth locally.”
Dr McIntyre has also undertaken extra study in paediatrics, dermatology and advanced skin cancer surgery, expanding the range of clinical services available to her patients. Beyond her practice, she plays a key role in training future doctors as a Senior Lecturer in General Practice at the University of New England (UNE).
She has been instrumental in developing and delivering the Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC) program — part of the Joint Medical Program between UNE and the University of Newcastle — which brings medical students to Inverell and other north-west towns for six-month placements.
“Now in its fifth year, the LIC program was developed in response to a declining rural medical workforce,” Dr Chalmers said.
“These placements ensure students form bonds with their supervisors, patients and the community, and many later choose to return as doctors.”
Dr McIntyre has also supported the NSW Rural Doctors Network’s Outreach Student Placement Program, hosting city-based students to experience rural practice — including 20 in one year alone — cementing Inverell Medical Centre’s reputation as a rural training hub.
Beyond teaching, Dr McIntyre has been an active advocate for better rural healthcare, serving on multiple boards and committees, including the Inverell Health Forum, which successfully presented evidence to the NSW Parliament’s Rural Health Inquiry.
“Cheryl exemplifies the very best of Rural Generalism and has made a profound impact on patients, students, colleagues and her community,” Dr Chalmers said.
“Her tireless efforts and vision make her a truly deserving candidate for this award and a true asset to rural health in Australia.”
Raised in Wollongong, Dr McIntyre moved to Inverell more than 25 years ago after training as a GP registrar and has remained ever since.
“Obstetrics has been a highlight of my career — it’s an exciting time in people’s lives, and it’s such a privilege bringing a new person into the world,” she said.
“It has been equally as rewarding getting to know my patients and their families, keeping them healthy, and helping them face challenges during their lives.”
Dr McIntyre said the LIC and outreach programs have helped put Inverell “well and truly on the radar” for medical students. One of the first LIC participants is now planning to return as a Rural Generalist Obstetrician — a result she describes as “very exciting.”
Outside of medicine, Dr McIntyre and her husband Andrew enjoy travelling through rural and remote Australia, bushwalking and birdwatching. Their daughter Emily has followed in her mother’s footsteps, working as a medical intern in Tamworth after completing the LIC program in Narrabri.
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