Ruth was born and bred in the city but always wanted to be a farmer’s wife, her feminist parents felt otherwise and encouraged intellectual pursuits. After graduating in Medicine in 1999 she spent time working in the outback of Australia and then in General Practice in New Zealand. Ruth trained in Emergency Medicine in Auckland receiving Fellowship in 2007. She now finds herself as an Emergency Physician and Rural Hospitalist working for the largest rural District Health Board in New Zealand. Working as Clinical Director of Thames Hospital from 2012-2018 Ruth has found addressing the inequities of rural practice challenging. She has had a keen interest in Telehealth since her outback days and has been the Chair of the New Zealand Telehealth Forum since 2017. She was appointed to the new position of Clinical Director of Information Services and Virtual Healthcare for the Waikato DHB in February 2018 and both roles allow her a glimpse into the future where patients have better access to the care that they deserve. Ruth lives on a lifestyle block in the North Waikato with her farm consultant husband and three children, proving that you can have your cake and eat it too.