Dr Emily Gill is a General Practitioner in Opotiki and Te Kaha.
But next year she's moving her family to the United States for 12 months, so she can study how technology is changing healthcare in rural communities.
"Healthcare policy, at the end of the day, is most effective if it's pragmatic; if it's actually going to affect clinical care. So my role, I see, is to offer my perspective as a clinician, when the discussions around health care policy are being had."
Dr Gill had to submit a proposal to research how the Internet and digital technology could improve medical access for people living in rural circumstances.
Dr Gill operates out of two clinics weekly in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.