WONCA Europe Prague 2017 - speaker interviews

Dear WONCA family,

Growing together in diversity is the main motto of our conference. Having been already united in WONCA family we want to grow as a discipline in European diversity by learning from each other and exchanging experience and knowledge.

We plan to prepare a balanced programme based on original abstracts, contributions suggested by leading international scientific networks, committees and groups recognised by WONCA. Contributions by networks and SIGs are regarded to be the scientific heart of the conference.

On behalf of WONCA 2017 Scientific and Host Organizing Committee we are very proud to inform you, we recieved many abstracts and suggestions from 33 WONCA scientific networks and SIGs and their proposals promise to present actual state of art of FM/GP. These abstracts did not go through the usual peer-review process but were considered by Scientific Committee. They covered all suggested topics, as they are listed below.

We are also proud to announce that we have received more than 1400 abstracts, which are under review now.

Programme at a Glance

Programme at a glance is available here.

Meet WONCA Europe 2017 Keynote Speakers

Interview with Cyril Hoeschl

Why did you choose to become a doctor and why did you decide to be specialised in psychiatry?

Lacking a specific talent or motivation I always looked for the most universal study covering almost everything from math to humanities. Therefore I choose medicine, and again, among medical disciplines, psychiatry seemed mostly to correspond with this approach involving everything from biological psychiatry, ECT and pharmacology to logo-therapy, psychoanalysis and philosophy. In other words I always postponed the decision as far as possible.

What is the position of GPs in psychiatric reform in Europe, what are the main characteristics of this reform?

The main feature of the reform is a shift of mental health care (MHC) from huge mental hospitals towards community. It means among other things to establish so called mental health centres serving patients somewhere on the way between outpatient and inpatient settings and reflecting special social needs of psychiatric patients. The role of GPs becomes now more important and closer to the MHC system as GPs per definition work much closer to the natural environment of patients. GPs also become more and more involved in the psychiatric treatment process having increasing rights to prescribe antidepressants and other psychotropics. Another common area is a care for elderly.

The whole interview is available here.

Interview with Charilaos (Harris) Lygidakis

Are we growing together in diversity?

In 1990, Voyager 1 took a photo of the Earth from a distance of 6 billion kilometres. Seen against the darkness of space, our planet appeared as a pale blue dot. “Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena,” was the reflection of the astronomer Carl Sagan, and he continued: “To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.”

Our world is such a small, yet diverse place. To tackle its challenges, from the tame to the grand ones, we must foster diversity to harness expertise and deliver effectiveness. Respecting, communicating and building on the perspectives and experiences of different individuals, are key to personal and collective development, enhanced decision-making and problem-solving, as well as to creativity and true innovation. Family doctors are uniquely positioned to see diversity and care for people and societies unconditionally, regardless of gender, age, race, ethnicity, and other dimensions. We work with a diversified team of health professionals and workers, and we leverage their different viewpoints and experiences to address challenges creatively.

How attractive you find family medicine for young doctors?


It surely depends on the country, the context and the individual aspirations, but generally speaking, I would say that it is not as attractive as it should be!

The whole interview is available here.

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