The European Young Family Doctor Movement (EYFDM) is an organisation dedicated to supporting young family doctors (YFDs) in Europe.
A young doctor is a doctor in training for Family Medicine/General Practice and in the first 5 years after qualification as a family physician/general practitioner.
VdGM
We can only build the future and live completely the present if we know the past
João Sequeira Carlos – The Vasco da Gama Movement 10 years sailing, much more to discover
The 2004 WONCA Europe Conference in Amsterdam coincided with the celebration of the 15th anniversary of the Dutch GP Training Foundation (SBOH)and to mark the ocasion they financially facilitated the organisation of the 1st junior doctor pre-conference during the WONCA Europe Conference. Fons Sips had adequately sensed the need for a platform for junior GPs and developed his plan with Erik Teunissen, Justian Hofmans and Ingrid van der Heijden – all representatives from Dutch GP-trainee network (LOVAH) with support from the Dutch college of GPs (NHG).
The seed of the movement was sown at the 2004 WONCA Europe conference in Amsterdam, at which the forum of young doctors (European Network for Trainees and Junior Doctors) was formed. The first assembly (later council meeting) took place June 2 2004 in Amsterdam. The idea was presented at WONCA Orlando on October 2004 kickstarting the movements in other regions of WONCA and at a global level.
In January 2005 (21 and 22), the first meeting of the young doctors representatives was held in Lisbon, hosted by the Portuguese NMO, and solidified the vision, goals, and objectives of the movement. The ideals for the Movement were set down in this meeting. The location, home port of Vasco da Gama, and the adventurous image, from where he set out on a voyage of discovery, contributed to name the movement after him. In this meeting it was also decided to create the pre-conferences of EYFDM (then VdGM) prior to the WONCA Europe conferences. One of the senior advisors suggested it should include the expression “movement” to convey continuous and dynamic process of development. Justin Allen suggested naming i after an ancient Portuguese navigator – Vasco da Gama, Fons Sips wrote the name on a flip-chart and draw an ancient ship.
Lisbon Statement of Intent
Vasco da Gama Movement
The WONCA Europe Working Group for Young and Future General Practitioners
and those matchless heroes
Who from Portugal’s far western shores
By Oceans where none had ventured
Voyaged to Taprobana and beyond
Os Lusíadas – Luis Vaz de Camões, 1572
Young doctors in the WONCA Europe region have established a movement to promote the discipline of general practice/family medicine through:
a) Providing a forum, support and information for trainees and young GPs through access to WONCA Europe regional conferences and pre-conferences
b) Establishing a communication network between European trainees and young GPs and identifying their concerns, doubts and needs and helping to address them
c) Improving the quality of training programmes for general practice by establishing a central information database on European programmes, and setting quality standards
d) Writing and publishing newsletters concerning the movement for national colleges and associations
e) Working with host organizing Committees in organising junior doctors preconference meetings held during WONCA Europe regional conferences
f) Collaborating with national colleges and associations in general practice, and stimulating the formation of national representation of young and future GPs
g) Collaboration with international organisations of general practice and the representation of the movement at international meetings
This is a new and exciting movement, setting out on a journey of discovery, developing ideas for the discipline of general practice in the future These ideas were set down in a meeting in January 2005 in Lisbon, the home port of Vasco da Gama, from where he set out on a similar voyage of discovery, and for this reason his name has been applied to the movement.
It will be formally launched at the Kos WONCA Europe Conference in September 2005.
To help in achieving these ambitions each WONCA Europe organisation is asked to develop a robust process of identifying and sponsoring young and future general practitioners to the movement.
(The movement defines young and future doctors as those in training for general practice and in the first five years after qualification as a GP)
The attendants of the first meeting were Dr. Fons Sips, chairman of the working party Junior Doctor Project Amsterdam, 2004, Dr Justin Allen, President of Euract, Dr Sakis Simeonidis, member of the HOC Kos Wonca Conference and Secretary of Euract, Dr Luís Pisco, President of the Portuguese Association of GPs and member of WONCA Executive Board, and Donata Kurpas (Poland), Frank Peters-Klimm (Germany), Erik Teunissen (the Netherlands), Birgit Pedersen (Denmark), Monica Novac (Romania), Monica Knutsen (Norway), Fatma Goksin Cihan (Turkey),Dimitris Karanasios (Greece) and João Sequeira Carlos ( Portugal).
The first pre-conference was held in Kos, Greece in 2005 and led to the recognition of the need for an organisational structure, funding and a website.
In a meeting in London in January 2006,a group of motivated young doctors collaboratively developed aims, goals, action, structure and affiliation,. with guidance from senior colleagues from EURACT, especially Fons Sips and (later) Yvonne van Leeuwen (NL) and Justin Allen (UK). During this meeting Birgit Morre Pedersen (Denmark) was nominated the first president. Continuation of the successful pre-conference was defined was a goal.
EYFDM (then Vasco da Gama Movement) official recognition and support by WONCA Europe at WONCA Europe Council Meeting in Florence, 27 August 2006.
In Paris 2007 the constitution was approved and theme groups were formed, allowing participants to contribute to more specific topics.
- Growth and Milestones (2012-2015):
- First edition of Junior Researcher Award in 2011
- The Fund was established in 2012 to support its initiatives and busaries.
- The 10th anniversary was celebrated in Lisbon in 2014, marked by a commemorative book.
- In 2015, the “Being Young Staying Young Award” was inaugurated, recognising outstanding young FDs.
- In October 2015 EYFDM was granted full recognition as a Network of WONCA Europe.
EYFDM
Today, the EYFDM continues to empower young FDs, facilitating networking, knowledge sharing and professional development through exchanges and events (including forum and pre-conference), projects (like the Bridge Project and Special Interest Groups), research and exchange awards.
The name change from VdGM to EYFDM reflects a more inclusive and descriptive identity for the organization.
Successful annual Pre-conferences (in the 2 days prior to WONCA Europe Conference) have been held ever since, including in 2013 – when the EYFDM (then VdGM) Preconference was held prior to the WONCA World Conference in Prague.