World Organization of Family Doctors - WONCA

19/01/2026

AfriWon Renaissance and the WONCA Working Party on Women and Family Medicine (Africa Region) invite you to a virtual webinar, titled From Access to Impact: Mentorship, Networking, and Opportunities for Women in Family Medicine

🗓 Date: Saturday, 24 January 2026
⏰ Time: 4:00–6:00 PM WAT | 5–7 PM CAT | 6–8 PM EAT | 3–5 PM UTC
💻 Platform: Zoom

Speakers & Panel:
* Dr. Jane Namatovu Frances – Keynote
* Dr. Adedotun Oluwaseun Ajelabi – Panelist
* Dr. Nana Kwame Ayisi-Boateng – Panelist
* Dr. Kudzai Zembe – Panel Moderator
* MC/Anchor: Dr. Patricia Turimumahoro

🎯 Register now to secure your spot:
https://tinyurl.com/AfriWon-WWPWFM-Webinar

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain mentorship insights and guidance from continental leaders in Family Medicine. Be there!🫱🏽‍🫲🏾✨

19/01/2026

AfriWon Renaissance and the WONCA Working Party on Women and Family Medicine (Africa Region) invite you to a virtual webinar, titled From Access to Impact: Mentorship, Networking, and Opportunities for Women in Family Medicine

🗓 Date: Saturday, 24 January 2026
⏰ Time: 4:00–6:00 PM WAT | 5–7 PM CAT | 6–8 PM EAT | 3–5 PM UTC
💻 Platform: Zoom

Speakers & Panel:
* Dr. Jane Namatovu Frances – Keynote
* Dr. Adedotun Oluwaseun Ajelabi – Panelist
* Dr. Nana Kwame Ayisi-Boateng – Panelist
* Dr. Kudzai Zembe – Panel Moderator
* MC/Anchor: Dr. Patricia Turimumahoro
🎯 Register now to secure your spot:
https://tinyurl.com/AfriWon-WWPWFM-Webinar

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain mentorship insights and guidance from continental leaders in Family Medicine. Be there!🫱🏽‍🫲🏾✨

19/01/2026

See the full line up of keynote speakers forthe 21st WONCA World Rural Health Conference.
Register today and help shape the future of rural practice.

Meet Our Keynote Speakers | Rural WONCA 2026

We’re proud to welcome an exceptional lineup of keynote speakers to Rural WONCA 2026 — bringing together Indigenous knowledge, frontline clinical leadership, global health equity, research excellence, and system-level innovation.

From rural Aotearoa to the world stage, our keynote speakers reflect the depth, diversity, and lived experience shaping the future of rural health, family medicine, and primary care.

Together, they will challenge, inspire, and lead conversations grounded in Whānau Ora, equity, and community-led solutions for a thriving rural future.

Join us in Wellington as these voices set the tone for a truly global gathering.

Learn more & register: https://zurl.co/BkXiL

19/01/2026

One of the highlights of the pre-conference programme at the WONCA Africa Region Conference in Nairobi 2024 was a fireside chat organised by the WONCA Working Party on Women and Family Medicine.

Those who attended described it as empowering and affirming - a rare chance to hear women family doctors speak openly about building meaningful, rewarding careers, and the challenges they have navigated along the way.

This Saturday, AfriWon (the WONCA Young Doctors’ Movement for Africa and WONCA Working Party on Women and Family Medicine will host webinar exploring mentorship, networking, and leadership opportunities for young Africa women in family medicine.

Date: Saturday, 24 January 2026.
Time: 15:00 UTC (16:00 WAT)
Register on Zoom: https://eu01web.zoom.us/meeting/register/fBhd00M7TQaaS-KT2LXU1A #/registration

18/01/2026

Alrazi Group - Young Doctors Movement proudly announces the election of 2025-2027 executive board representing the EMRO region

Chair: Dr. Yousef Khaled (Palestine)
Vice chair: Dr. Fajer Dashti (Kuwait)

Together, they will champion career development, cross‑regional collaboration, and the empowerment of young doctors.

تعلن مجموعة الرازي - حركة الأطباء الشباب بكل فخر عن انتخاب مجلسها التنفيذي للفترة 2025-2027 ممثلاً لمنطقة شرق المتوسط.

الرئيس: الدكتور يوسف خالد (فلسطين)
نائب الرئيس: الدكتورة فجر دشتي (الكويت)

سيعملون معاً على دعم التطوير المهني، وتعزيز التعاون الإقليمي، وتمكين الأطباء الشباب.
Wonca Africa
UCT Division of Family Medicine & Palliative Medicine
WONCA Rural Working Party
EYFDM - European Young Family Doctors Movement
Egyptian Family Medicine Association
Lebanese Society of Family Medicine
الرابطة السورية لطب الأسرة
World Organization of Family Doctors - WONCA
WONCA South Asia

17/01/2026

Scaling up mental health in primary health care
💻 Online mini-conference | 📅 25–26 February 2026

WONCA is proud to co-organize this two-day online conference with WHO Regional Office for Europe focusing on practical solutions to bring mental health services closer to communities through the primary health care approach.

The programme features a strong line-up of speakers from WONCA, WHO and beyond, including:

Dr Viviana Martinez-Bianchi, WONCA President, delivering a keynote and closing remarks
Prof. Christos Lionis, exploring mental health across the life course
Kim Yu, MD, FAAFP, WONCA’s Liaison to WHO, co-moderating the panel on digital innovation in mental health
Dr Ana Luísa Neves, Chair of the WONCA Working Party on eHealth and Digital Health

Topics will include:
🧠 Integrating mental health into PHC models
🩺 Health workforce education and training
💶 Sustainable financing
🤖 Digital innovation and ethical AI
⚖️ Equity and access across life stages

🔗 Register now
https://who.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OPbgRwACSNy82nzUw8VRYg #/registration

📄 Full Programme
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X3so5NHReXa5JM84jj9jKPocjZpcYL9i/view

This event builds on the WHO Europe policy paper “Scaling up mental health within primary care approach”, and shifts the conversation from what needs to be done to how we can make it happen.

📘 WHO Policy Paper
https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/WHO-EURO-2025-11303-51075-77740

17/01/2026

Nairobi workshop moment - a mass casualty exercise designed for family doctors.

WONCA’s Emergency Medicine Special Interest Group runs practical, hands-on training like this to strengthen primary care, build confidence in urgent situations, and connect colleagues across regions.

16/01/2026

Meet WONCA’s Special Interest Group on Emergency Medicine, one of our 18 Special Interest Groups, and a brilliant example of what our global family of family doctors can do when we learn together.

This documentary that follows the group across Lisbon, Nairobi and Bengaluru, and shows how they use gamification to build confidence for real-world emergencies.

Watch the film in full, and if you like what you see, you are very welcome to join the SIG and get involved:
https://www.globalfamilydoctor.com/groups/SpecialInterestGroups/Emergency1.aspx

Keep an eye out for their memorable and practical workshops at your next WONCA conference.

15/01/2026

“The key is trust, and I detect that other specialists trust us more and more.”

Interview with Maria Pilar Astier Pena, WONCA President-elect, published by The Foundation University Institute for Primary Health Care Research Jordi Gol i Gurina (IDIAPJGol)

Since September 2025, family physician María Pilar Astier has been the president-elect of the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA), the international entity that represents the specialty of family medicine and acts as an interlocutor with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United N...

14/01/2026

"It's complicated for family doctors to combine clinical activity with teaching and research. We need to develop mechanisms that allow flexibility in professionals' activities."

Interview with Maria Pilar Astier Pena, WONCA President-elect, published by The Foundation University Institute for Primary Health Care Research Jordi Gol i Gurina (IDIAPJGol)

Since September 2025, family physician María Pilar Astier has been the president-elect of the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA), the international entity that represents the specialty of family medicine and acts as an interlocutor with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United N...

13/01/2026

This interview with WONCA President-elect Maria Pilar Astier Pena is worth your time: a wide-ranging interview on the state of family medicine worldwide, and the challenges facing primary care today.

She reflects on the growing burden of chronic disease, workforce pressures, and what it will take to make primary care stronger and better funded in every setting. A theme throughout is research and training, and the time and support busy clinicians need to do this work well.

It is a thoughtful, practical read, packed with insights for educators, researchers, and health leaders.

Since September 2025, family physician María Pilar Astier has been the president-elect of the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA), the international entity that represents the specialty of family medicine and acts as an interlocutor with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United N...