Dr Luisa Pettigrew’s CV has a distinctly international flavour. She may work as a sessional GP in London, but as a student she became involved in the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations and following her junior house officer year she completed a diploma in international health in Madrid.
Her dissertation for her Masters in health policy took her to Sri Lanka where she studied the role of overseas medical examination accreditation. All of which naturally led on to her current role as an Executive Committee Member and WHO Liaison Person for WONCA (the World Organisation of Family Doctors).
She says that an understanding of global health helps give perspective on being a GP in the NHS.
According to our panel, Dr Pettigrew is ‘a clear leader, inspirational, hard-working and passionate’. She lists her most satisfying responsibility as ‘working with young doctors who are passionate about global health’.
This year’s high points are: ‘Becoming a mum for the first time and being the youngest person so far to be elected onto the WONCA executive committee six weeks later.’
In the future, she hopes for WONCA to be recognised by WHO and its member states ‘as the go-to organisation that understands the challenges that family doctors face worldwide and that can help solve them’.
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