Welcome to your weekly WONCA e-update. We’re celebrating over fifty years of the WONCA International Classification Committee (WICC) and invite you to a special reunion event. Plus some other updates, opportunities and webinars.

CELEBRATING OVER HALF A CENTURY: The WONCA International Classification Committee (WICC), a cornerstone of WONCA since its inception in 1972, is celebrating more than five decades of shaping patient care and classification systems. Read more about the history of WICC.

WICC REUNION: Join us for a special Zoom meeting on May 24th, 2024, from 10:00 to 12:00 UTC, where we’ll journey through the WICC’s storied past and look ahead to its promising future. This is a unique chance to connect with the visionary leaders and former members who have steered the WICC over the years, including Niels Bentzen, Erik Falko, Marc Jamoulle, Thomas Kuehlein, Kees van Boven, and Juan Gérvas.

JOIN US: Whether you’re deeply familiar with the classifications or keen to uncover the stories behind them, this reunion offers invaluable insights into their development and the impact on family medicine and patient care. Register on Zoom.

MONTEGUT GLOBAL SCHOLAR PROGRAMME

APPLY NOW: Supported by the American Board of Family Medicine Foundation, this initiative offers a $3,300 USD scholarship for a doctor from each of the seven WONCA regions to attend a WONCA regional conference or Ubuntu 2024. The deadline for applications is April 15, 2024.

FIVE STAR DOCTOR AWARDS

EXTENSION: Nominations for the WONCA Regional Five Doctor Award 2024 have been extended to Tuesday 9 April 2024. WONCA’s award of Excellence in Health Care is awarded annually by each region, with all regional winners going forward for consideration for the Global Five Star Doctor award, every two years. Read more.

WEBINARS & COURSESMINDFUL LIVING: NCD PREVENTION IN EUROPE: A webinar hosted by the World Patient Alliance on April 17th at 14:00 UTC, this session is set to tackle the escalating issue of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) with a fresh and proactive approach, featuring Joao Sequeira Carlos (Portugal) co-convenor of WONCA’s Special Interest Group on Non-Communicable Diseases. Register.

WHO HIGH-LEVEL DIALOGUE: ‘Realizing the right to health in a world in turmoil’ is the title of an upcoming discussion between WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr Volker Türk. Monday, 8 April at 10:30 UTC.

WORLD HAND HYGIENE DAY: Why is sharing knowledge about hand hygiene still so important? Because it helps stop the spread of harmful germs in healthcare. Taking place on 6 May 2024, the WHO has a series of webinars programmed. Find out more.

EACH: The International Association for Communication in Healthcare has two webinars coming up on 16 April: HCER webinar – hearing bad news: Identifying differences between the skills taught and observed in clinical placements and rEACH Connectivity Webinar Series: What sparks new overseas collaborations?
WONCA CONFERENCES

Ubuntu 2024 – WONCA Rural: The deadline for abstract submission has been extended to 14 April. Listen to the Ubuntu 2024 podcast to get a preview of what’s in store for rural doctors in Cape Town, South Africa. 10 – 13 September.

8th WONCA Africa Region Conference in Nairobi, Kenya: 5 – 8 June 2024. Registration is open!

WONCA South Asia Region Conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka: 3 – 5 May 2024. The early bird registration deadline has been extended to 15 April.

WONCA Asia Pacific Region Conference in Singapore: 21 – 24 August 2024. Early bird registration is still open.

WONCA Europe Conference in Dublin, Ireland: 25 – 28 September 2024. Abstract submission deadline extended to 22 April.

East Mediterranean Region: WONCA Regional Conference in Amman Jordan, 17 – 19 October 2024. Stay tuned for more info.
Also in EMR, the General Medicine National Congress in Tangiers, Morocco. 9 – 12 May, 2024.

WONCA Iberoamericano – CIMF Conference: Megapolis Convention Center, Panama City. 23 – 26 October 2024. An early-early-bird discount is available until 30 April. Contact info@cimfpanama2024.com

WHO LAUNCHES COVINET: A global network for coronaviruses.

WONCA EMR NEWS: The March 2024 edition of the East Mediterranean Region edition has been published on our site.

WORLD FAMILY DOCTOR DAY: Healthy Planet, Healthy People. Our annual celebration of family doctors, this year with a particular focus on planetary health, takes place on 19 May 2024. A campaign website, complete with a social media toolkit will be launched next week. Thank you to everyone who has reached out to get involved. I’ll be in touch shortly.