At just 38, Dr Verma’s contributions to the sector and community are many, yet when he talks about his career and experience  the words he uses most are ‘rewarding,’ ‘lucky’ and ‘privileged.’

Dr Verma said that the best part of his job by far is supporting people experiencing ill mental health in their wellness journey.

“It’s heartening to see people experiencing severe depression get the support they need, not just by me as their GP, but from a team of psychologists, counsellors and other health professionals,” said Dr Verma. 

“Seeing people go on to live happy, functional lives is just the best thing. Outside of medicine – it’s just the best thing!”

Just 17 percent of newly graduating doctors intend to pursue a career as a GP and Dr Verma hopes he can use this award as a platform to advocate for more young people to pursue general practice.

“As a GP you get to build long-term relationships and make a real, meaningful difference to people’s health and lives,” said Dr Verma.

“You can see bizarre symptoms, which you don’t have to diagnose right away. You get to do tests and monitor to diagnose and treat over time, refining your clinical thoughts and diagnoses . It can be complicated and clinically interesting.”

For over six years, Dr Verma was based at Narregate Medical and Dental clinic, with a focus on minor surgical procedures, mental health, women's health, and child health. He credits his Narre Warren colleagues Dr Palmyra Debanks and Dr Munawar as mentors who helped shape his career.

“They were always professionally and personally supportive, not just to me, but to all the doctors at the clinic – they are truly fantastic leaders!”

In October Dr Verma began working at a Refugee Health Service based in Collingwood, providing health care to people who may not be able to access Medicare or mainstream medical care.

“In the past I’ve worked with people from diverse backgrounds, but mostly with good levels of health literacy. The patients with high health literacy are generally the ‘easy’ patients.

“People with different backgrounds, lower health literacy, who struggle to access services and support, often end up with poorer health outcomes and are the people who most need support.

“We need more doctors who will work with our most vulnerable people.”

Incredibly active in the health sector – particularly in governance and education, Dr Verma is the youngest member ever appointed and currently the only GP appointed to the Victorian Medical Board, to which he was appointed by the Minister for Health at just 33 years of age. Dr Verma is a serving member on the Boards of two rural health services, as well as being a conjoint academic at the University of Newcastle and teaching Monash medical students.

Dr Verma has served as the RACGP Academic Council of Assessment New Fellow representative, and is a RACGP examiner, a RACGP OSCE exam QA examiner and is a RACGP Expert Committee member for Standards in General Practice.