Department of Family Medicine

The main goal of the Department of Family Medicine is to emphasise the role of primary care and the family physician's approach to problem solving in medicine.

We implement an integrated study course for medical students with basic clinical knowledge, as well as supervising post-graduate education in family medicine. We encourage and supervise research and thesis development in topics related to family medicine. Our lecturers lead and promote the students' research group in family medicine, assisting in writing abstracts for conferences at the national and international level, and are involved in PhD studies, as well as local and international research projects.

Most lecturers in our department are active family physicians, members of international organisations, for example:

EGPRN (European General Practice Research Network);
EURACT (European Academy of Teachers in General Practice/Family Medicine);
EURIPA (The European Rural and Isolated Practitioners Association);
WONCA (World Organsisation of Family Doctors).

Scientific conferences

Staff members of the Department of Family Medicine participate in international conferences and seminars on a regular basis.

2022

11th EURIPA Rural Health Forum
6–8 October, Diocesan Museum, Catania, Italy
Sandra Gintere, Gunta Tīcmane and Līga Kozlovska, lecturers at the RSU Department of Family Medicine participated in the 11th EURIPA Rural Health Forum.
More about the Forum

The Örenäs Research Group – a cancer research group in primary care
13–15 October 2022, Sofia, Bulgaria
Ilze Skuja and Vija Siliņa, lecturers at the RSU Department of Family Medicine, represented the University at the annual meeting of the European cancer research group in primary care, Örenäs Research Group. The aim of the event is to plan and implement research projects as an international research group. Participants from Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and the UK attended this year's meeting in person.
The research group is part of the European General Practice Research Network (EGPRN), a network of researchers from 29 countries. It is led by Prof. Michael Harris, who is also currently a Visiting Professor at RSU.
More about the Örenäs Research Group

2021

Family Medicine, EGPRN, 92nd EGPRN Meeting 2021, “Closing evidence gaps in general practice” , 30 April–1 May 2021, Location: Virtual
https://meeting.egprn.org
26th WONCA Europe Conference Virtual, 6–10 July 2021. Practising person centred care
30th Janko Kersnik International EURACT Bled Course, Slovenia, 9–11 September 2021
10th Rural Health Forum, 23–25 September 2021 HYBRID FORUM: FACE TO FACE & VIRTUAL. Understanding our patients – working closely together”
93rd EGPRN meeting in Halle, Germany ,14–17 October 2021. “Fostering clinical research in general practice and family medicine”
WONCA 23 rd Scientific World Conference 2021 “Together we own the future“ fully online 22–27 November 2021

2020

90th EGPRN, online meeting "Digital medicine and e-health", 16–17 October
https://meeting.egprn.org/
EURIPA 1st Rural Health e-Forum 'How Rural and Remote General Practice/Family Medicine is responding to the challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic – now and for the future'. 18–19 September
https://euripa.woncaeurope.org/content/e-forum
29th Janko Kersnik International WoncaEurope EURACT Bled Course Slovenia, 8–12 September
https://www.bled-course.org/
PDCE (Primary Care Diabetes Europe) North Europe Summit Meeting
12 February, Stockholm, Sweden
https://www.pcdeurope.org/
In the meeting, Latvia and RSU were represented by Vija Siliņa, Sandra Gintere, Līga Kozlovska un Ainis Dzalbs ⇒

2019

The 88th EGPRN, Research on Multimorbidity in Primary Care
9–12 May 2019, Tampere, Finland
https://www.woncaeurope.org/event/88th-egprn-meeting
EGPRN (European General Practice Research Network) 89th conference, General Practice and the Community: research on health service, quality improvements and training
17–21 October 2019, Vigo, Spain
https://www.woncaeurope.org/news/89th-egprn-meeting-vigo-2019
28th Janko Kersnik International EURACT Bled Course, The tyranny of health
17–21 September 2019, Slovenia
https://www.bled-course.org/
EURACT Assessment Course for Trainers in Family Medicine
10–12 October 2019, Lisbon, Portugal
https://euractlisbon2019assessment.com/
European Forum on Prevention and Primary Care
4–5 November 2019, Porto, Portugal
https://europrev.woncaeurope.org/content/events?id=all
IX EURIPA RURAL HEALTH FORUM (see picture)
7–9 November 2019, Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal
https://www.euripaforum2019.eu/
Örenäs Research Group – cancer research group in primary care
7–9 November 2019, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
http://www.bath.ac.uk/health/research/orenas-research-group/index.html

Örenäs Research Group – cancer research group in primary care participants

IX EURIPA Rural Health Forum

2018

EUROPREV (European Network for Prevention and Health Promotion in Family Medicine and General Practice) Forum themed Medical prevention: the balance of benefits and harms, 5–6 November 2018
http://europrev.woncaeurope.org/
https://www.mgfamiliar.net/EUROPREV/index
EGPRN (European General Practice Research Network) Conference, Sarajevo (Bosnia & Herzegovina). Conference theme: The role of the informal caregivers (family members) in chronic disease management, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 4–7 October
https://www.egprn.org/
https://meeting.egprn.org/
European Academy of Teachers in General Practice / Family Medicine, 27th Janko Kersnik International EURACT Bled Course, “Guidelines and Mindlines", 11–15 September
https://www.bled-course.org/
http://euract.woncaeurope.org/
6th international conference on Preventing Overdiagnosis, Copenhagen, Denmark, 20–22 August
http://www.preventingoverdiagnosis.net/
The 23nd WONCA Europe Conference, Krakow, Poland, 24–27 May. Conference theme: Family medicine. Quality, Efficiency, Equity
http://www.woncaeurope2018.com/
EGPRN (European General Practice Research Network) Conference, Lille, France, 10–13 May. Conference theme: Changing doctors for a changing world: How to face future of primary care?
https://www.egprn.org/