The Working Party on Women and Family Medicine has completed 22 years in the organization of WONCA.

Over the years, this working party (WP) has expanded from a limited, regional party to a global level, establishing a prominent position within the organization. This was achieved through various means, including:

• Collaborations with other WONCA working parties, special interest groups, and young doctors' movements.
• Active participation by women family physicians in educational and research activities.
• Effective communication, mentoring, promotion of leadership skills, and advocacy activities supporting women in the primary care workforce.

The progress from a small group of female family physicians to a much larger, globally-spanning group faced numerous challenges, but women leaders in this group remained focused on the working party’s mission and vision.

How We Function

Organogram for WWPWFM

Each WONCA region has a regional team consisting of a regional lead, communication lead, young doctor lead, and country leads. This team functions within the region alongside WWPWFM members.

Executive Team of WWPWFM

The executive team includes the Global Chair, Chair Elect, Regional Leads, a representative from the communication lead, young doctor lead, and one Ex-officio (Previous Global Chair).

Nomination Process

The Global Chair of the new term of WONCA is selected in the previous WONCA term (every 2 years) as the Chair Elect. The Chair Elect is nominated from among the regional leads of the WP who have functioned actively for two consecutive years.

The regional lead is nominated among WP members who have been active, preferably someone who was part of the previous executive team in the region (e.g., communication lead, country lead, or young doctor lead).

All other leads are nominated from within the WP, with preference given to active members. There is no Co-Chair in this WP, as the functions are managed by the regional and executive teams. Elections take place in the year of the World WONCA, before June. Those elected become Lead Elects until approved during the Business meeting at the pre-conference.

Operational Details

• The Chair Elect steps in if the current Chair cannot fulfill their duties or steps down during their 2-year term.
• The Communication Lead steps in for the regional lead if absent or if the lead steps down during the 2-year term.
• The Young Doctor Lead represents the Young Doctor Movement (YDM) and liaises between the WP and the young doctor group, while the country leads represent their respective countries.

More details can be found in the nomination forms.

Mentoring

The Global Chair mentors the Chair Elect, Communication Representative, and Young Doctor Representative within the executive team. The Chair Elect mentors regional leads, while regional leads guide their teams and country leads mentor regional members.

Reporting Line

All regional leads and the Chair Elect report to the Global Chair during executive meetings or through email/WhatsApp messages. Communication, young doctor, and country leads report to regional leads, who hold quarterly meetings with their WP members.

During webinars or pre-conferences at regional or global levels, the Global Chair and Chair Elect meet with WP members. Representatives from communication and young doctors are selected into the executive team and report on their respective groups in executive meetings.

Recommendations and Way Forward

• Consider creating bylaws for WONCA working parties globally and in regions to ensure better organization and management.
• Encourage Regional Presidents to establish communication with WP regional leads to foster an environment conducive to the development and growth of women family physicians.

Standard operational procedures for WWPWFM | Revision date: 2027