September 29, 2025
On Sept. 20, NCAFP member Dr. Viviana Martinez-Bianchi was inaugurated as the new president of the World Organization of Family Physicians (WONCA)! Dr. Martinez-Bianchi was elected WONCA President-Elect in 2023 and will now serve as president until 2027. The inauguration ceremony took place at the WONCA World Conference in Lisbon, Portugal. Over 4,219 family physicians attended the conference from 117 countries.
NCAFP President Dr. Mark McNeill, NCAFP Secretary-Treasurer Dr. Deanna Didiano, and NCAFP Exec. VP and CEO Greg Griggs also attended the meeting and enjoyed the inauguration ceremony. “It is so impressive to have a North Carolina family physician at the helm of a global family medicine organization,” Greg said. “The experience of being surrounded by family physicians throughout the world was truly once-in-a-lifetime. It was the perfect meeting for Dr. Martinez-Bianchi to become WONCA President, since her track record shows how much she wants to advance the specialty around the world.”
Congratulations to Dr. Martinez-Bianchi! We look forward to seeing how she will help improve Family Medicine for family physicians and for patients throughout the world!
