WONCA Europe Newsletter
December 2023
Editor's Preface
We are pleased to share with you the December edition of our newsletter, this time a little later than usual.
You may find out about our Networks, Special Interest Groups and Working parties activities, including the IPCRG November Newsletter and WONCA Europe WP on Policy Advocacy Newsletter - November 2023
We recently produced two webinars “Beyond the prescription pad: Transforming Lives through Movement Medicine” And “Reflection on Adult and Elderly Health: Early Detection, Prevention, and Vaccination”. If you missed them, you can find them on our website.
Moreover, you may learn more about WONCA Europe Executive Board activities through our monthly meeting summary.
In addition, this edition features the WONCA Europe at the closing conference of HAPPY PATIENT project and at the European Balkan Family Medicine Conference 2023.
On behalf of the WONCA Europe Executive Board, we wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. We hope the new year brings peace, prosperity and success to all our readers and their families. We hope where there is war and plight, there will be peace.
We hope that you are as excited for the coming years' events as we are.
Please keep updated visiting our web page and follow us in our Twitter (@WoncaEurope), Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
On behalf of WONCA Europe Executive Board
Thomas Frese, President-elect
Jose M Bueno, EQuiP Member-at-large
WONCA Europe Newsletter Editors
President’s Corner
Dear Colleagues,
As we usher in the New Year, I extend warm greetings to all my fellow family physicians in Europe, members of WONCA, our networks, special interest groups, and all the member organisations that compose WONCA Europe. We are concluding a year of creativity and achievements, signifying our departure from the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic. Throughout the year, we all participated in numerous activities across the continent, culminating in the success of our annual conference in Brussels.
Now, it is time for us to embark on a well-deserved vacation, allowing us to recharge, savour precious moments with our loved ones, and gather strength for the opportunities ahead in the coming year.
While certain challenges persist and others intensify, notably the shortage of family physicians in many areas and competition for national and international resources, our commitment remains unwavering.
On behalf of WONCA and its executive board, I wish for a year filled with self-fulfilment and peace and a year where we would collectively channel our energy towards advancing family medicine and the well-being and health of our patients and their families.
Warm regards,
Prof Shlomo Vinker
WONCA Europe President
News
Summary of the WONCA Europe Executive Board Meeting in Ljubljana, December 8/2023President Shlomo Vinker provided updates on various activities, including the European project HAPPY PATIENT conferences in Barcelona, the Family Medicine Forum in Bosnia & Herzegovina, and involvement in projects POINT EU and SIX DEGREES for... |
WONCA Europe at the closing conference of HAPPY PATIENT projectOn 30/11/2023 WONCA Europe President, Dr Shlomo Vinker visited the SEMFYC headquarters in Barcelona (Spain) and met the president and other members of the executive board. He had discussions with the president Dra. Remedios... |
WONCA Europe at the European Balkan Family Medicine Conference 2023Prof. Shlomo Vinker from Israel, WONCA Europe President and Prof. Thomas Frese, WONCA Europe President Elect along with the President of the Balkan Southeast European Association of General Medicine, Prof. Ljubin Sukriev, among others, took part... |
One year of Family Medicine Clinic for Internally Displaced People “InterFAMILY” Ukraine“InterFamily” which became the fruit of international assistance to Ukraine, recently has celebrated its first anniversary. Is it a short or a long period for the country in war? One year period for... |
WONCA Europe WP on Policy Advocacy Newsletter - November 2023Group Highlights: Engagement in the Rural Policy Forum: This September, Dr. Veronika Rasic represented EURIPA at the EU Rural Pact's High-level Rural Policy Forum . The forum, established under the Long-term... |
COVID-19 Vaccination in At-Risk Individuals: Safeguarding the Vulnerable Against Immune Evasion and Variant EvolutionWorld Organization of Family Doctors Europe and Medscape Education Global are pleased to announce the release of an education activity designed to help learners be better able to discuss characteristics of the COVID-19 XBB variant, who... |
IPCRG November Newsletter is out !IPCRG 12th World Conference, Athens 2024: Time to get booking! Registration and abstract submissions for the 12th IPCRG World conference in Athens are now open! Visit... |
The European Journal of General Practice is looking for an Associate EditorThe Editorial Team The current Editorial Team consists of Professor Jako Burgers, PhD (the Netherlands), Oliver van Hecke, PhD (UK, Belgium), Professor Wolfram Hermann, PhD (Germany), Professor Helena Liira PhD... |
Upcoming Events
 EURACT Snowball Symposium: "'A good beginning makes a good end – onboarding GP trainees and medical students in your clinic." 30 January 2024, Virtual |
 CaReMe-O 2024 15-16 March 2024, Barcelona, Spain & Online |
 EYFDM Forum 2024 12-13 April 2024, Tech Gate, Vienna, Austria |
 64th EQuiP Conference 25-27 April 2024, Ghent, Belgium |
 98th EGPRN Meeting 9-12 May 2024, Porto, Portugal |
 17th International Primary Care Diabetes Europe Conference 6-8 June 2024, Barcelona |
 13th EURIPA Rural Health Forum 20-22 June 2024, Lincoln, UK |
 29th WONCA Europe Conference 25-28 September 2024, The Convention Centre Dublin, Dublin, Ireland |
You may send your events and news articles directly to our website by logging into your Wonca Europe account. Please send other materials, such as interesting stories and reflections, to SecretariatEurope@wonca.net for our upcoming editions. We ask you to send the newsletter to all your colleagues and to share it on your website / Facebook / Twitter homepage.