Lisbon, Portugal – The WONCA World Conference 2025 featured a high-impact session dedicated to WONCA Europe's booming engagement in EU-funded interdisciplinary research projects.
WONCA Europe, once an occasional partner, has rapidly professionalized its research capacity and is now a consistently sought-after collaborator in major European consortia. Out of more than 20 proposals, seven projects are currently active, with others under evaluation, spanning a critical spectrum of public health issues.
The session, presented by WONCA Europe President, Professor Thomas Frese, highlighted how this strategic involvement is translating the perspective of General Practice/Family Medicine (GP/FM) into major European health policies and clinical guidelines.
Featured Projects: From Prevention to Personalized Care
The active projects showcase WONCA Europe's commitment to addressing the most pressing health challenges facing European communities, ensuring that primary care insights are at the core of innovative solutions:
|
Project Acronym |
Focus Area |
Goal for GP/FM |
|---|---|---|
|
PROTECT-EUROPE |
Cancer Prevention (HPV) |
Promote gender-neutral HPV vaccination with high uptake by tackling vaccine hesitancy at the primary care level. |
|
POINT |
Post-Acute Infections |
Identify molecular markers to predict chronic diseases following acute infections, bringing lab science into clinical practice. |
|
EARLY |
Youth Health & NCDs |
Reduce non-communicable diseases in youth by identifying and modifying lifestyle and environmental risk factors. |
|
EuroHeartPath |
Cardiovascular Health |
Optimize personalized cardiovascular care and prevention through 18 pathfinder studies across Europe. |
|
PRAISE-U |
Prostate Cancer Screening |
Support the early and standardized detection of prostate cancer across EU member states, ensuring primary care's role is balanced. |
|
SP-EU |
Social & Integrated Care |
Promote social prescribing by co-creating effective interventions with vulnerable populations to enhance equitable and integrated care. |
Shaping the Future of Research in Primary Care
The symposium went beyond project summaries to explore the lessons learned and the successful professionalization of project-based work within WONCA Europe. This discussion is vital for maximizing the benefits that these large-scale initiatives bring back to the family doctor community.
The discussion session on strengthening this research role was enriched by the valuable contributions of three European leaders heavily involved many of these projects:
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Prof. Shlomo Vinker 🇮🇱, outgoing WE president.
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Prof. Mehmet Ungan 🇹🇷, former WE president.
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Prof. Josep Vilaseca 🇪🇸, former WE treasurer.
Their collective expertise emphasized the need to increase the visibility and influence of GP/FM research to ensure that all policy and clinical recommendations developed at the EU level are relevant, implementable, and beneficial for primary care providers and their patients.
This symposium underscores a pivotal shift: WONCA Europe is now a powerhouse of primary care research, actively driving the agenda for a healthier Europe. Members are encouraged to follow the progress of these projects and engage with the networks to bring these advancements to local practice.