The Future of Family Medicine – International Joint Meeting was held on 12 May 2026 at Galatasaray High School in Istanbul, Türkiye, in collaboration between WONCA and the Turkish Family Medicine Foundation (TAHEV).
Designed as an invited expert meeting and structured in a panel discussion based brainstorming format, the event brought together international and national leaders in family medicine/general practice to reflect on the future of the discipline, its core values, and the actions needed to strengthen family medicine across education, research, clinical practice, and health systems.
The meeting was coordinated by Prof. Dr. Mehmet Akman on behalf of TAHEV, in close collaboration with Prof. Dr. Viviana Martinez-Bianchi, WONCA World President, reflecting the strong partnership between TAHEV and WONCA. It was opened by Prof. Dr. Mehmet Sargın, President of the TAHEV Executive Board.
International contributions were made by representatives of WONCA, WONCA Europe, the European Forum for Primary Care (EFPC), the WHO European Centre for Primary Health Care, EURACT, EGPRN, and Primary Care Diabetes Europe (PCDE). National family medicine organizations from Türkiye, including TAHUD, AHAD, and AHEF, also contributed to the discussions.
Speakers and contributors included Prof. Dr. Viviana Martinez-Bianchi; Prof. Dr. Maria Pilar Astier-Peña, WONCA World President-Elect; Prof. Dr. Ioanna Tsiligianni, WONCA Europe President-Elect; Prof. Dr. Maria van den Muijsenbergh, EFPC President; Dr. Arnoldas Jurgutis, WHO European Centre for Primary Health Care; Prof. Dr. Mehmet Ungan, WONCA Europe Past President; Prof. Dr. Radost Asenova, EGPRN and WONCA Europe Executive Board; Prof. Dr. Esra Saatçı, EURACT and WONCA Europe Executive Board; Prof. Dr. İlhami Ünlüoğlu (chairman of board of trustees, TAHEV),
Prof. Dr. Güzin Zeren Öztürk, President of TAHUD; Prof. Dr. Pınar Topsever, President of PCDE; Prof. Dr. Serap Çifçili, President of AHAD; Dr. Çiğdem Akaydın, General Secretary of AHEF; Dr. Tuğba Güler Sönmez, Ministry of Health, Türkiye; and Dr. Samir Babayev, Karabakh University, Azerbaijan.
Throughout the day, participants discussed the urgent priorities for family medicine/general practice in Europe and beyond, with a particular focus on professional identity, core competencies, standards of practice, teamwork, training pathways, faculty development, research capacity, prevention, high-burden conditions, and the sustainability and resilience of family medicine as a discipline.
A dedicated working session at the end of the meeting focused on drafting and negotiating the İstanbul Declaration on the Future of Family Medicine/General Practice. The declaration is intended to be action-oriented and relevant across different health system contexts. Work on the text is continuing, and the İstanbul Declaration is expected to be published soon.
The meeting also marked an important step in strengthening collaboration between WONCA, TAHEV, European family medicine organizations, and national professional bodies. Further outputs from the meeting, including the declaration, a book project, and short video materials, are planned to be shared through national and international channels.
