Junior Doctors / Small Working Groups

Small Working Groups

Small Working Groups

Active Status

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Working Group

Leads: Pablo Estrella Porter (​​pestrellaporter@gmail.com) and Olayinka Fakorede   (holaryinkafakorede@gmail.com).

JDN Alumni Supporter: Caline Mattar (mattar.caline@gmail.com)

  • Mission:

To increase awareness about the emergence of AMR, the important role of AMR stewardship, and use of the One Health framework to mitigate disease risk among humans, animals, and the surrounding ecosystem, to diverse target audiences, including students, health professionals, and the general public.

Primary Health Care Working Group

Leads: Adeel Riaz (adeelriaz369@gmail.com) and Eleleta Surafel (eleletasabay@gmail.com)

  • Mission:
    • The PHC WG provides a platform for international collaboration, discussion and learning about the critical role PHC in health system strengthening and in achieving UHC and the SDGs
    • The working group further supports members in PHC advocacy at national levels
  • Objectives:
    • Strengthen the understanding of PHC as a cornerstone of resilient health systems
    • Equip junior doctors with tools, knowledge, and advocacy skills to champion PHC within their local and national contexts
    • Facilitate global dialogue and peer-to-peer learning on innovative models and challenges in PHC
    • Advocate for the integration of PHC principles into health governance and emergency preparedness policies
    • Contribute to global health conversations through publications, research, and conference presentations
  • Activities:
    • Contributed to WMA Statement on PHC
    • Convened debriefings, focus group discussions and webinars on global health agendas and youth engagement, including reflections on social determinants of health, humanitarian and climate crises, gender-based violence, and PHC needs in LMICs
    • Led global campaigns for the Astana Declaration (2022) and UHC (2024), mobilizing junior doctors worldwide to advocate for PHC as the foundation of Health for All and call for accelerated progress toward the SDGs
    • Collaborated with other WGs and NMAs on PHC resilience in disaster response and climate crisis
    • Contributed to global health discourse through statements at WHO EB meetings and publications in the JDN Bulletin
  • Publications:
    • Empowering the frontlines of PHC: A JDN perspective. WMA JDN Bulletin. 2025;31:15-6.
    • Antimicrobial Resistance: Challenges and Solutions in Primary Health Care. WMA Junior Doctors Network Bulletin. AMR Special Edition. 2024; 4.0:12–14.
    • SATHI Initiative: Addressing Unmet Surgical Needs in LMICs through Community Engagement and Task Shifting. Junior Doctors Network Bulletin. 2025 Jan; (30):26–29. Special Focus: Health in a Changing Climate: JDN’s Response to Global Challenges
    • Racism: The Insidious Social Determinant of Health. Junior Doctors Network Newsletter. 2021 August; (23):57-61.
    • Comprehensive Primary Health Care Working Group Update. Junior Doctors Network Newsletter. 2021 April; (21):16-17
    • Challenges and Opportunities in Providing Primary Health Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Six Countries. Junior Doctors Network Newsletter. 2020 July; (19):71.

 

Pandemic Preparedness / COVID-19 Working Group

Leads: Marie-Claire Wangari (mcwangari.wm@gmail.com) and Yassen Tcholakov  (yassentch@gmail.com)

  • Mission:

The Pandemic Working Group is a re-activated working group since January 2022 from the ad-hoc “COVID-19 working group”, created at the beginning of the pandemic. It was re-started at the height of the COVID Omicron wave, to offer a space for junior doctors around the world to share their experiences from their respective countries and to keep ourselves informed about realities that are facing each other. The current aim of the working group is to review developments in the public health arena on matters pertaining to health emergencies of concern e.g. COVID-19 and Mpox and appraise solutions being tabled with an aim to add the voice of junior doctors worldwide in these efforts.

  • Publications:
    • 2024 JDN Newsletter: Working Group Overview
    • 2022 JDN Newsletter: Working Group overview
    • Coordinated the review of the 2017 WMA Policy on Epidemics and Pandemics
  • Activities:
    • Advocacy Campaigns: In May 2023 we shared junior doctors stories from the frontlines on their experience working during the COVID-19 pandemic
    • Representing Junior Doctors in High Level Meetings e.g. the WHO Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) and the WHO International Health Regulation (IHR) meetings.
    • Social Media Campaign on the Pandemic Accord and its role in Junior Doctors Career.
    • Opinion piece Article on the Pandemic Accord Negotiations.

 

Medical Ethics Working Group

Leads: Shiv Joshi (ethics.jdn@wma.net) and Cristopher Spina Mena (cristop100@gmail.com)

  • Mission:

To foster a culture of ethical discourse and practice among junior doctors globally by providing platforms for collaborative learning, policy engagement, and academic contribution in medical ethics. The working group serves as a bridge between theoretical ethical frameworks and practical application in healthcare settings, while amplifying junior doctors’ perspectives in global medical ethics governance.

Objectives:

  • The Medical Ethics Working Group aims to increase engagement of junior doctors in the topic medical ethics, policy, research and professional exchange.
  • The Medical Ethics working group participates in internal and external meetings on Medical Ethics
  • Members of the working group also have an opportunity to participate in drafting, reviewing, and contributing to WMA policies and Journal Publications on medical ethics.

Activities:

  • Medical Ethics Open House – Interactive forum for reflective dialogue on emerging ethical challenges in medicine, offering junior doctors a safe space to exchange ideas and connect abstract principles to real-world practice
  • Journal Club – Regular sessions providing hands-on exposure to ethical debates and dilemmas (9 sessions of 60-70 minutes each conducted through August 2025), covering topics from research ethics to AI applications in healthcare
  • WMA JDN MEC Policy Discussion Series – Structured platform established in February 2025 to align JDN perspectives with WMA Medical Ethics Committee work, featuring discussions on key WMA declarations and policies
  • Academic Article Development – Facilitation of collaborative research projects on practical applications of ethics in junior doctors’ everyday work, including ongoing projects on Artificial Intelligence and junior doctors’ roles in conflicts
  • Policy Review and Contribution – Active involvement in WMA policy development via compiled contributions from a junior doctors’ perspective to the policy documents under revision or adoption as WMA Council Sessions
  • Cross-Working Group Collaboration – Supporting integration of ethical perspectives across all JDN initiatives to establish medical ethics as a unifying foundation
  • Recent Publications:

Medical Ethics and Medical Education Special Edition – Comprehensive publication featuring articles including “The Evolution of the Declaration of Helsinki: A Critical Analysis of its Implications for Junior Doctors,” “Ethical Dynamics of AI in Intensive Care: A Compassionate Advance,” “Integrating Cultural Competence into Medical Training” and many more. It can be accessed here – wma.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/WMA-JDN-Bulletin-Med-EdEt-04-2025.pdf

 

Medical Exchange, Education and International Mobility Working Group

Leads: Merlinda Shazellenne (dr.merlinda@gmail.com) (education.jdn@wma.net) and Rui Lourenço Teixeira (rteixeira@edu.ulisboa.pt)

  • Mission:

The Working Group serves as a platform for junior doctors to engage, learn, and collaborate in the spheres of medical education, exchange and mobility. With a focus on knowledge-sharing and advocacy, our purpose is to foster junior doctors’ engagement towards the advancement of medical education and to empower them to drive positive change in their careers and in healthcare systems worldwide.

  • Objectives:
    • Explore avenues to partner with health institutions that encourage medical exchange and international mobility,
    • Provide guidance for junior doctors pursuing international mobility and/or global health careers,
    • Advocate for junior doctors’ involvement in shaping and monitoring medical education guidelines,
    • Elevate the voice of junior doctors in critical healthcare discussions such as the one on medical workforce and empower their role in the policy-making processes,
    • Enhance the quality of postgraduate medical education through research initiatives and best practices sharing.

 

  • Activities:
    • Representative of JDN to give inputs for Revised WFME Standards for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) 2023- 2025.
    • Part of the working group with WFME for WFME Declaration on institutions’ responsibility to support medical students, physicians in postgraduate education and physicians in practice. (Dr Merlinda) 2023- 2025.
    • Publishing the WFME Declaration on institutions’ responsibility to support medical students, physicians in postgraduate education and physicians in practice. (Dr Merlinda) 2024- 2025.
    • WMA JDN has a sit in the WFME Council Meeting (WMA JDN Chair).
    • Participated in the WFME Conference in Bangkok 2025-
    • Concluding a survey on interesting topics involving the Medical Education choice of webinar topics 2023-2025.
    • Representative of JDN for UNODC meetings.
    • Representative of JDN for MASEAN AGM & Conference 2023
    • Revision of the WMA Resolution on Medical Workforce, 2022-2023 (adopted during the WMA general assembly, October 2023)
    • Junior Doctors’ representation during the JDN-IFMSA co-hosted WHA side event on Youth Engagement, May 2023
    • Junior Doctors’ representation at the WHO Youth Hub 2023-2024
    • Revision of the Postgraduate Medical Education WFME Global Standards
    • Organizing Webinars to guide Junior Doctors in their careers:
      • Leading from the Frontline: A Junior Doctor’s Guide to Everyday Leadership. Oct 2025
      • Unlocking Public Health: Specialisations, Careers & Opportunities for Junior Doctors Sept 2024
      • Careers in Global Health (Junior Consultants Edition), February 2023
      • Navigating career pathway in an international organization, November 2022
      • Doctors’ Well-being, March 2021

 

 

Planetary Health Working Group

Leads: Lekha Rathod (lekha.r91+gh@gmail.com) and Laura Jung (laurajung.gh@gmail.com)

  • Mission:

The Planetary Health Working Group aims to increase engagement of junior doctors at the intersection of human health and the environment, taking a holistic approach which considers the climate crisis, global environmental changes and health equity.
The working group succeeds and expands previous work done by the Climate Change and Health Working group.

Description of the relevance of the issue for Junior Doctors:
The group brings together health professionals and emphasizes their unique perspective on Planetary Health. Doctors are among the first to see the health impacts of environmental degradation and can develop a strong political voice to influence change. Additionally, youth have the unique position of great legitimacy when speaking about the long term impacts of human activity on the environment given that they will experience the most serious of those impacts within their lifetime.

The JDN has a long track record of engagement and of advocacy, both within the WMA and with external organizations on the topic of climate change and health.

  • Objectives:
    • Create a space where junior doctors with interest in environment and health can meet, discuss, and collaborate on projects
    • Provide a junior doctor perspective on WMA policies that have to do with planetary health and mobilize the WMA to take stronger stances on these issues; Engage JDN members around global policy-making meetings related to environment and health such as the UNFCCC, COPs, and WHO
    • Facilitate cooperation between junior doctors wishing to contribute to research or to share new ideas/experiences from the field
    • Extend opportunities arising from WMA collaborations with external stakeholders to JDN members
    • Members of the working group also have an opportunity to participate in drafting, reviewing and contributing to WMA policies and Journal Publications
  • Activities:
    • Participation and contribution in activities of the Global Climate and Health Alliance
    • Representing junior doctors in activities of the UNFCCC and WHO
      • UNFCCC COP27, COP28, upcoming COP29
      • UNFCCC SB58-61
      • WHA75
    • Submission of a WMA policy on Air Pollution (2023) and approval by SMAC in October 2024
    • Increasing engagement and representation of junior doctors in the WMA’s activities in the Environmental Caucus
      • Ongoing review of two policies in the caucus

Global Surgery Working Group

Leads: Ramitha Eshan Ruwanpathirana (oakflute@gmail.com) and Preeti Sawant (drpreetisawant@gmail.com)

  • Mission:

The Global Surgery Working Group aims to promote equitable surgical and anesthetic care which aligns itself with the global Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3. This group aims to increase awareness of global surgery and anesthesia, while inspiring global participation among medical students and surgical health professionals towards achieving equitable surgical and anesthetic care worldwide.

  • Objectives:
    • To promote awareness of the need for education, advocacy, and research to achieve health impartiality for all communities in need of quality surgical and anesthesia care globally.
    • To inspire participation and engagement of present and prospective surgeons and/or public health workers toward the achievement of these goals.
    • To increase awareness and seek alignment with the “WMA Statement on essential surgical care as a part of access to healthcare”.
    • Create and foster opportunities for mentorship and career development.
    • Create and foster opportunities for research and collaborative data analysis.
  • Activities:
    • Educational webinars and workshops by leaders in Global Surgery.
    • Collaboration with other Global Surgery associations (InciSion, International Association of Student Surgical Societies, Academic Association of Global Surgery, G4)

Noncommunicable Diseases Working Group

Leads: Dr. Venkatesh Karthikeyan (4852012@gmail.com) and Dr Muha Hassan (muhaghp@gmail.com)

  • Mission:

The mission of the WMA JDN – NCD Working Group is to unite and empower junior doctors worldwide to lead collaborative action against NCDs through advocacy, education, research and policy engagement. By fostering international partnerships, sharing best practices, and tackling health inequities, the working group seeks to strengthen health systems, enhance clinical and public health competencies, and contribute to the global effort to reduce the burden of NCDs.

  • Objectives:

    • To coordinate global campaigns for at least two major NCD-related health days annually, mobilizing participation from junior doctors across the globe.
    • To publish a special NCD edition of the WMA JDN Bulletin within the first year and ensure that an NCD-focused article or update is included in every WMA JDN Bulletin.
    • To submit official policy statements or recommendations to international forums such as the World Health Assembly or relevant WHO consultations, representing the perspectives of junior doctors on NCD prevention and control.
    • To organize at least two online educational webinars on priority NCD topics, each featuring international experts.
    • To initiate at least one multi-country research project on NCD training needs or experiences among junior doctors, aiming for submission to a reputable international journal within 18 months.
  • Proposed Activities:
  • Coordinate with the Publications Team for NCD Special Edition Bulletin – Release of the WMA JDN NCD Special Edition Bulletin.
  • Submit NCD articles and working group updates for every WMA JDN Bulletin – Publication of NCD-related articles and updates in all WMA JDN biannual bulletins.
  • Organize Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign – Creation and dissemination of awareness materials on social media.
  • Host World Diabetes Day webinar with international experts – Educational webinar on diabetes with international speakers.
  • Launch No Smoking Day awareness campaign – Social media campaign to promote tobacco cessation.
  • Host No Tobacco Day webinar with expert speakers – Educational webinar on tobacco control.
  • Initiate multi-country research on NCD training needs among junior doctors – Submission of research findings to a reputable international journal.

Past / Completed Working Groups

Note: Small Working Groups completed the respective tasks or the WMA policy was adopted.

  • WMA JDN Terms of Reference 2024-2025
  • JDN 10th Anniversary
  • Ethics Surrounding Medical Care for Psychiatric Patients
  • Postgraduate Medical Exchanges
  • Working Conditions
  • Trade and Health
  • Strategic Planning
  • Elections Procedures
  • Social Media
  • Post-Graduate Medical Education
  • Doctors’ Health and Wellbeing
  • Climate Change and Health Working Group
  • WHO Related Activities Working Group
  • Global Health Training and its Implications Working Group
  • Doctors’ Health and Wellbeing Working Group

 

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