WONCA Special Interest Group: Adolescent & Young Adult Care

Muna Chowdhury, MD, CCFP, FCFP.

 Family physician whose career has focused on working with marginalized groups of people, including those struggling with mental illness, substance use disorders, gender dysphoria, refugees, and underhoused/homeless people, particularly youth. Health advocate, approaching health through a social determinant of health lens, with active advocacy in areas of antiracism and equity diversity inclusion principles. GP psychotherapist with extensive experience in the areas of mental health and substance use. Teacher and mentor to learners of all levels, including medical students and health care professionals.

email convenor

Past Chairs

Veronica Svetaz (USA)
Pierre- Paul Tellier (Canada)

o Engage a strong, diversified membership, representing all WONCA regions in health care issues related to AYA.
o Create a platform and a presence at the different WONCA world conferences to develop an awareness around the need to make Adolescent Health a priority
o Disseminate evidence-based practices for the care of adolescent, young adults and their parents

Download June 2019 resources list

Mental health resources

McCutcheon, R.A., Marques, T.R., Howes, O.D. Schizophrenia - An Overview. JAMA Pscychiatry, Published online Oct 30, 2019, E1-E9 doi:https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.3360

Dalsgaard, S., Thorsteinsson, E, Trabjerg, B.B. et al. Incidence Rate and Cumulative Incidences of the Full Spectrum of Diagnosed Mental Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence. JAMA Psychiatry, Published online November 20, 2019, doi:https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.3523

Sexual Health
Altarum Institute, Sexual Health and Your Patients: A provider's Guide, Washington, D.C.: Altarum Institute; 2016. https://nationalcoalitionforsexualhealth.org/tools/for-healthcare-providers/document/ProviderGuide.pdf
This document provides information on how to obtain a sexual history with both adolescents and adults and provides information on how do discuss various aspects of sexual health with patients.

Communication
Altarum Institute, Sexual Health and Your Patients: A provider's Guide, Washington, D.C.: Altarum Institute; 2016. https://nationalcoalitionforsexualhealth.org/tools/for-healthcare-providers/document/ProviderGuide.pdf

Other resources

Patton GC, Sawyer SM, Santelli JS, Ross DA, Afifi R, Allen NB, Arora M, Azzopardi P, Baldwin W, Bonell C, Kakuma R. Our future: a Lancet commission on adolescent health and wellbeing. The Lancet. 2016 Jun 17;387(10036):2423-78.

Svetaz MV, Chulani V, West KJ, Voss R, Kelley MA, Raymond-Flesch M, Thruston W, Coyne-Beasley T, Kang M, Leung E, Barkley L. Racism and Its Harmful Effects on Non-dominant Racial–Ethnic Youth and Youth-Serving Providers: A Call to Action for Organizational Change: The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2018 Aug 1;63(2):257-61.

The Golbal Strategy for Women's Childrens and Adolescent's Health (2016-2030). http://globalstrategy.everywomaneverychild.org/pdf/EWEC_globalstrategyreport_200915_FINAL_WEB.pdf

Svetaz MV, Garcia-Huidobro D, Allen M. Parents and family matter: Strategies for developing family-centered adolescent care within primary care practices. Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice. 2014 Sep 1; 41(3):489-506.

National Research Council, Institute of Medicine (US), Lawrence RS, Gootman JA, Sim LJ. Adolescent health services: Missing opportunities. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2009.