Webinar: How Family Doctors and Patients Can Improve Mental Health

Working Together For Change:

How Family Doctors and Patients Can Improve Mental Health

Date: Monday, 19 May 2025

Time: 12:00 UTC

Registration Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_KV-ihGzcQF2l8z2CqnjIxg#/registration

In collaboration with: World Patients Alliance

About the Webinar

This webinar is part of WONCA’s global campaign for World Family Doctor Day 2025, under the theme Building Mental Resilience in a Changing World. It highlights the powerful role of collaboration between family doctors and patients in improving mental health outcomes and creating systems that are more equitable, empathetic, and effective.

By working together—drawing on clinical experience, lived experience, and shared humanity—doctors and patients can build relationships that strengthen both treatment and trust. This session will explore what truly person-centred care looks like in practice, and how it can be used to promote mental resilience at every level of primary care.

Speakers will also share lessons from the MDD Minds project, an international program that has equipped thousands of family doctors across nine countries to better diagnose, treat, and manage depression—while also fostering self-care and community-based support strategies.

Agenda Highlights

• Welcome & Introductions
  Professor Amanda Howe and Andrew Spiegel
• Setting the Stage: Why Collaboration Matters in Mental Health Care
  Amanda Howe
• Patient and Community Perspectives on Mental Health
  Fatima Seedat, South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG)
• Key Findings and Lessons from WONCA’s MDD Minds Project (with patient feedback)
  Dr. Sankha Randenikumara
• Panel Discussion and Q&A
  Moderated by Amanda Howe and Dr. Maria Pilar Astier Peña
• Closing Reflections
  Final thoughts from each panellist

Speakers and Panellists

• Professor Amanda Howe
  Emeritus Professor of Primary Care, University of East Anglia; Past President, WONCA (2016–2018); Past President, RCGP (2019–2021)
  Professor Howe was a practising family doctor for nearly four decades. As an academic and global leader in family medicine, she has worked to improve systems of care and raise the status of primary care worldwide.
• Fatima Seedat
  Development Manager, South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG)
  Fatima has worked in the mental health field for over 12 years, with a strong focus on serving underprivileged communities. She leads projects that reduce stigma and create pathways for accessible, culturally appropriate mental health support.
• Dr. Sankha Randenikumara
  Family Doctor, Sri Lanka; Co-Chair, WONCA Special Interest Group on Policy Advocacy
  Dr. Randenikumara is a clinician, educator, and health system leader. His areas of focus include palliative care, planetary health, and improving quality and safety in health care systems.
• Dr. Maria Pilar Astier Peña
  Executive Member at Large and WHO Liaison, WONCA; Family Doctor, Spain
  Dr. Astier Peña brings deep expertise in international health policy and primary care transformation. She has represented WONCA in collaborations with the WHO and other global agencies.
• Andrew Spiegel
  Chair, Board of Directors, World Patients Alliance (WPA)
  Andrew is a lawyer, advocate, and international leader in the patient movement. He works to ensure patient voices are heard in health policy and system design across countries and regions.