This week, members of our global community are marking important moments in the year. We send warm wishes to everyone celebrating Lunar New Year, to those beginning Lent, and to colleagues observing Ramadan. Wherever you are, we hope this season brings health, steadiness, and connection for you, your patients, and your communities.
In this issue, we share early details of the WONCA Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) Conference 2026 in Cairo, including key dates for abstracts and early registration. There are also two free learning opportunities on climate and health from Columbia University, including a Europe-focused course and an Eastern Mediterranean programme with regional examples.
Webinars are a big focus this fortnight, with several free sessions coming up in the next few weeks. These include a WHO-WONCA mini-conference on mental health and primary care (25-26 February), a Global Coalition for Circulatory Health discussion on action after the UN Political Declaration on NCDs (24 February), a webinar on building and sustaining the rural health workforce (25 February), and upcoming sessions from Young Doctors in Asia Pacific and the Waynakay Movement on 1 March. We also highlight the next WONCA Human Factors Working Group webinar in March, and an advance look at a new digital health webinar series for 2026.
WONCA NEWS
WONCA EMR 2026: We are pleased to announce the WONCA Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) Conference 2026, taking place in Cairo, Egypt, from 29-31 October 2026, at the Sofitel Cairo Downtown Nile Hotel. This is the region’s flagship gathering for family medicine and primary care, following two strong recent meetings in Amman, Jordan (3-5 October 2024) and Tangier, Morocco (8-11 May 2025). The theme of this year’s conference is Solidarity in Primary Care: Bridging Innovation and Humanism for a Resilient Eastern Mediterranean.
Welcome to Egypt: In his welcome message, Prof. Dr. Faisal Abdullatif Alnasir (WONCA EMR President) highlights the shared challenges facing the region, including health inequities, climate vulnerability, digital transformation and humanitarian crises, and calls for a conference that is both scientifically rigorous and deeply humane. The 2026 conference is being convened with the Egyptian Family Medicine Association (EFMA), with organisers emphasising a strong bridge between research and practical implementation in primary care, and a scientific programme focused on methodological rigour and real-world impact.
Abstract submission deadline: 30 April 2026 Early bird registration ends: 30 May 2026
WHO–WONCA MENTAL HEALTH MINI-CONFERENCE: WONCA and the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe will host an online mini-conference on Mental Health and Primary Care on 25-26 February 2026.
Scaling up mental health services within the PHC approach: The programme builds on the 2025 WHO policy paper on mental health and primary care and moves the discussion from policy to practice. Topics will include early identification and prevention, workforce training, sustainable financing, and the careful use of digital tools and AI in primary care. Registration is free.
Date: 25-26 February 2026. Programme available here. Register here.
CLIMATE MEDICINE COURSE: Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health is offering a free, live-virtual course to help clinicians and educators build practical skills in climate-informed care, and bring climate and health into teaching and everyday practice. It is a 16-session, certificate-based programme in English, with live captioning, and includes both foundation content and specialty sessions. The current course is focused on Europe but WONCA understands that additional regional courses are expected for Africa, Asia, the Americas, the Caribbean, and the Western Pacific, and we will share updates as these open.
Eastern Mediterranean course: Columbia’s Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education (GCCHE) is also running a free, live-virtual Eastern Mediterranean Climate and Health Responders Course. It is aimed at clinicians, public health professionals and educators, with sessions focused on regional priorities, practical approaches, and local examples.
FUNDING FOR YOUNG RURAL DOCTORS: Rural WONCA has launched the FLIGHT Grant to support medical students and young family doctors committed to rural health. Two recipients will receive USD $1,000 plus free registration for a Rural WONCA conference or summit, linked to a short rural placement and a written report.
WES FABB ORATOR ANNOUNCED:WONCA Asia Pacific Regional Conference 2026 has named Dr Donald Li (Hong Kong) as the 2026 Wes Fabb Orator and recipient of the Wes Fabb Oration Award. A past WONCA President, Dr Li will deliver an address titled From Birth to Wisdom: The Healthy Ageing of Family Medicine, reflecting on how the discipline has matured, and the challenges now facing family medicine, including workforce pressures and digital health. The award is named after WONCA’s first Chief Executive Officer, a family physician who exemplifies excellence, leadership, and commitment to advancing family medicine and general practice in the Asia Pacific Region.
See you in Iloilo: Registration is open for the 27th WONCA Asia Pacific Regional Conference, taking place in Iloilo, Philippines, from 25-27 March 2026. Hosted by the Philippine Academy of Family Physicians (PAFP), the conference theme is Family Physicians are Gifted to Give: Hearts that care for Persons, Family, and Community.
WHERE WILL YOU STAY IN PARIS? Registering for the WONCA Europe Conference 2026 is an excellent decision, but finding a place to stay in Paris in the middle of summer can be quite a challenge. Every year, the capital fills up very quickly during the summer season. Without planning ahead, options become scarce, prices rise, and available hotels may be located farther away. To help you avoid these inconveniences, we’ve got you covered.
Discounted rates: Special negotiated prices exclusively for conference participants.
Strategic locations: A selection of hotels near the Palais des Congrès with direct public transport connections.
Peace of mind: A centralized, reliable, and simple solution for booking with no unpleasant surprises.
Remember: The longer you wait, the higher the prices and the farther you may end up from the Palais des Congrès.
WONCA AFRICA CONFERENCE 2026: The 9th WONCA Africa Region Conference 2026 will bring family doctors together in Gaborone, Botswana under the theme We Are One. Join colleagues from across the continent to advance primary health care and planetary health through collaboration and shared learning.
IX CONGRESO IBEROAMERICANO DE MEDICINA FAMILIAR Y COMUNITARIA: The official website of the 9th Iberoamerican Conference on Family and Community Medicine is now live. The conference will take place in Asunción, Paraguay, from 22–25 July 2026, bringing together the Iberoamerican family medicine community for learning, exchange and connection.
CIRCULATORY HEALTH: Join the Global Coalition for Circulatory Health for an online discussion on turning the 2025 UN Political Declaration on NCDs into practical action for circulatory health. WONCA will be represented by Kim Yu, MD (USA). Moderated by Bente Mikkelsen (World Heart Federation).
Date: Tuesday, 24 February 2026. Time: 14:00-15:30 UTC. Register here
RURAL HEALTH WORKFORCE: The second webinar in the lead-up to the WONCA World Rural Health Conference will focus on building and sustaining the rural health workforce. The session will explore recruitment, training and retention, with attention to leadership development, interprofessional education and community engagement. A recording of the first webinar in the series, Innovation and Technology Transforming Rural Health Care Delivery, is available online.
RAJAKUMAR MOVEMENT – FAMILY FOCUSED CARE: The Rajakumar Movement (Young Doctors’ Movement of the Asia Pacific Region) Family Medicine Learning Series opens with a session on family-focused care, looking at how family medicine supports families and communities, not just individual patients. The session features Dr Anna Guia Limpoco (Philippines) on Family as a Unit of Care, and Dr Mya Win Hnit (Myanmar) on Family Assessment Tools.
WAYNAKAY WEBINAR – MORNING YOGA: The Waynakay Movement is hosting its first collaborative webinar of 2026, a yoga session to start the day with wellness and balance. Led by Dr Miguel Bolaños, family physician and yoga therapist, it is an invitation to support self-care, holistic health and community.
AFRIWON RESEARCH GROUP MEETING: AfriWon Research Group (ARG) is holding its monthly meeting on building and sustaining effective research teams. The session is led by Dr Innocent Besigye (Makerere University), President of Family Physicians Uganda, President of the Central, East and South College of Family Physicians, and Honorary Treasurer of WONCA Africa, with moderation by Dr Kolade.
Date: Sunday, 22 February 2026. Time: 17:00-18:00 UTC
(18:00-19:00 WAT, 19:00-20:00 CAT, 20:00-21:00 EAT). Join via Google Meet: https://meet.google.com/kyq-bbof-wnq.
HUMAN FACTORS WEBINAR: The WONCA Human Factors Working Group continues its webinar series with a practical session on primary care transformation. Speakers Prof Kevin Grumbach, MD, and Rachel Willard-Grace, MPH will offer insights from their research and hands-on experiences in practice facilitation and policy reform about the successful ingredients for renovating the primary care medical home. These include
1) a Blueprint: the presenters will share the UCSF Center for Excellence in Primary Care’s 10 Building Blocks of High Performing Primary Care model;
2) Tools: practice facilitation and other strategies; and
3) Resources: the need to invest adequate funds to support primary care.
DIGITAL HEALTH WEBINAR SERIES: WONCA will launch a new international webinar series on digital health in primary care in 2026, organised by the WONCA Working Party on Digital Health. The 10-part series, running from May 2026 to September 2027, will support family doctors and primary care teams to better understand and use digital health tools in everyday practice. Sessions will be held every two months and recordings will be available to WONCA members.
20 February: World Day of Social Justice
28 February: Rare Disease Day
3 March: World Hearing Day 8 March: International Women’s Day 12 March: World Kidney Day
Best regards,
Diarmuid Hayes
Senior Communications Officer [email protected]
