On behalf of the Vasco da Gama Movement and the Network of Establishing GPs of the Irish College of General Practitioners, I’d like to welcome you to the Second VdGM Forum.

I am particularly proud at this time when an Irish GP is Chair of VdGM that the Forum is being hosted in Dublin. We aim not only to put together an educationally and scientifically robust meeting, but also to showcase the very best of Irish culture and heritage in one of Europe’s great capital cities.

VdGM is now ten years old, and it is a measure of the maturity of our organisation and its strength-in-depth that we now have the capacity, capability and resources to deliver an annual stand-alone meeting of high quality and value. At the same time, VdGM and VdGM members have lost none of their innovation, dynamism, enthusiasm, passion or creativity, and it is these qualities which will ensure the second Forum is an event not to be forgotten!

The theme for the second Forum is “Family Medicine 2.0: Innovation and Awareness”. It is our sincere hope that in the current climate of global and European economic and humanitarian challenges, that these themes will help us discuss and explore how as the next generation of European family doctors, we can together find new solutions for the problems facing our communities.

In addition to the Forum itself, we also have an exciting two day pre-Forum exchange programme for 30 delegates. Optional extra activities are also taking place on the morning of Friday 20th February in the form of a Design Thinking workshop, a visit to Google European headquarters and a Dublin walking tour. Places are limited for each of these activities. There will also be a very special post-Forum event taking place on the evening of Saturday 21st February.

As we launch the second VdGM Forum and open registrations, all those involved in putting it together are very excited. It will be a wonderfully invigorating and enjoyable event and we hope a meeting which will last long in the memory.

Finally, on behalf of the entire team of the Host Organising Committee, Scientific Advisory Board and International Advisory Board and of course the VdGM Executive, I look forward to welcoming you to Dublin in February 2015.

Best wishes,

Peter Sloane

Chairperson VdGM