Global commitment rooted in community
It is with commitment, humility, and hope that I present my candidacy to serve as President-Elect of WONCA. Family medicine has shaped my professional life—as a clinician, educator, researcher, and advocate for quality and safety in primary care. My experience spans rural and urban clinical work, leadership roles in healthcare and national societies, organisational management and significant contributions to WONCA.
My vision for WONCA is grounded in advocacy, scientific excellence, and global collaboration. We, family doctors, are at the frontline of healthcare, listening carefully, building trust and responding to people’s evolving needs across all stages of life. WONCA must continue to lead as a platform of hope, science, inclusion, and global solidarity.
If elected, I will focus on five strategic priorities:
1. Empowering primary care teams globally
I will champion strong leadership and better working conditions in family medicine by fostering speciality qualifications, continuous learning and innovation. We must support the professional development of all primary care team members and reinforce our shared commitment to universal, high-quality, person-centred care.
2. Integrating family medicine into undergraduate medical education
Medical students should experience the value of family medicine early. I will advocate for structured modules, meaningful placements, and strong departments of family medicine and primary care in universities across all regions. This will contribute to improving recruitment and training in family medicine for future generations.
3. Enhancing the visibility and influence of family medicine worldwide
I will work to promote family medicine as a cornerstone of universal health coverage and resilient health systems. I will engage actively with WHO, the UN, and other global stakeholders to advocate for the central role of family doctors and the recognition of family medicine as a specialty in every country.
4. Advancing a global culture of healthcare quality and safety
Quality and safety are at the heart of family medicine. I will promote the exchange of best practices, expand access to training, and strengthen initiatives such as the WONCA accreditation of training programmes and clinical practices. I will advocate for a globally recognised core curriculum for family medicine specialisation.
5. Strengthening collaboration with public health and community-based care
We must advance community-oriented interdisciplinary primary care models that holistically integrate health, social support, well-being, prevention and planetary health, such as social prescribing and environmentally sustainable strategies. By fostering strong connections between family medicine, community networks, public health and healthcare systems, I will help strengthen our collective capacity to anticipate and respond to future health challenges.
WONCA is a powerful global community. Together, we can strengthen our specialty, defend our values, and ensure that family medicine leads the way toward healthier, more equitable societies.
It would be an honour to serve as your President-Elect and contribute to shaping the future of our profession—rooted in science, committed to justice, and inspired by care.
Global commitment rooted in community