WONCA North America Inaugural Convening

Sunday September 22, 2024
Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix Arizona, USA

Submitted by:
Dr. Tania Whitby-Best (Barbados), President-Elect, WONCA North America Region.
Dr. Victor Ng (Canada), President, WONCA North America Region.

The inaugural World Organization of National Colleges Academies and Academic Associations of General Practitioners/Family Physicians (WONCA) North America convening event was a resounding success, beginning with a business meeting attended by Canadian, American, and Caribbean representatives aimed at charting the team’s path forward. The meeting facilitated in-person interactions, networking among the member organization leaders, and charting a course forward for our region. Additionally, we celebrated the awardees for the North America five-star doctor and Montegut scholar awards for 2024, highlighting their significant contributions.

The business meeting was immediately followed by the inaugural convening chaired by WONCA North America President Dr Victor Ng. Introductions by Dr Ng, Dr Vivianna Martinez-Bianchi (WONCA President-elect), and Shawn Martin (AAFP CEO and EVP) emphasized a shared commitment to the mission of WONCA to enhance global health by strengthening family medicine and primary healthcare.

The keynote speaker, Dr Carlos Gonzales, delivered an insightful presentation titled “Addressing Challenges: Primary Care, Rural Health, Native American Health, The Border”. He provided a historical overview of primary care in the region, highlighting the urgent need for a primary-care-centered health system with strong connections to specialists. This message aligned closely with WONCA’s mission to improve the quality of life for people worldwide. Dr Gonzales also offered valuable perspectives on the health challenges faced along the USA borders, in rural and Native American communities, leaving us with important considerations for our ongoing efforts.

An engaging interactive exercise led by Dr David Polka (Canada), Dr Kim Yu (USA), and Dr Paula Henry (Trinidad and Tobago) highlighted the core values project from the North American perspective. Key values identified during this exercise include equity/social accountability, empathy/compassion, and professional autonomy. Participants were reminded of the adaptability required of family physicians and how establishing core values can help us navigate the daily challenges we face.

Dr Brunèe Dorsett (Bahamas), chair of WONCA Polaris (North America Young Doctors' Movement), provided an update on the remarkable initiatives undertaken by the group. Programmes such as the PolaRise mentorship programme, the PolarUs meetings, the empowerED podcast, and the Polaris newsletter are designed to inform, educate, support, and empower young family physicians as they embark on their careers in family medicine.

Three breakout sessions were conducted, led by representatives and Board members of WONCA North America:

• Medical Education in North America (Drs Esther Johnston and Victor Ng)
• Impact of Climate Change on Clinical Care in North America (Drs Tania Whitby-Best and Kim Yu)
• Community Medicine: Family Doctors as Connectors and Advocates for Health (Drs Julie Wood and Vivianna Martinez-Bianchi)

Feedback from participants indicated that these sessions were both informative and impactful. As highlighted in General Practice News (June 1948, p. 4), “the general practitioner should be the first line of defense for the patient—the medical ‘clearing house’. The family doctor practices the broadest specialty in medicine.”

Overall, the WONCA North America convening was a success. We hope that this will be the start of an annual WONCA North American event that will allow Canadian, American, and Caribbean members to continue connecting with each other and nurturing established relationships. It will also be a forum for us to share best practices, engage in collaborations on how we can support young doctors across our region, and contribute to strengthening family medicine.