The Liberia Chapter of the West African College of Physicians will on July 17, 2026, convene its 10th Annual General and Scientific Meeting (AGSM) at Sinkor Palace Hotel in Monrovia--a gathering that carries weight far beyond its ceremonial occasion.
Held within the College's Golden Jubilee year, which commemorates 50 years of advancing postgraduate medical education, specialist training and healthcare excellence across West Africa, the meeting arrives as Liberia's health system stands at a critical inflection point: still recovering from the structural damage inflicted by the 2014 2016 Ebola epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic, yet increasingly called upon to deliver specialist care to a population of over five million spread across fifteen counties.
Founded in 1976, the College has trained generations of West African specialists -- yet Liberian specialist-to-population ratio remains among the lowest in the sub-region. Thus, the Golden Jubilee is both a celebration and a call to account.
Held under the regional anniversary theme, "WACP @ 50: Celebrating a Legacy and Envisioning the Future," the Liberian Chapter has adopted the national sub-theme: "Envisioning the Future of Specialist Care in Liberia: Resilience, Equity and Sustainability."
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The meeting is expected to serve as a major platform for advancing specialist medical education, strengthening the country's healthcare system, promoting locally generated scientific research, and fostering collaboration among healthcare institutions committed to improving patient outcomes nationwide.
The gathering will provide an opportunity for physicians and healthcare leaders to reflect on lessons learned, identify emerging health priorities, and develop practical strategies to strengthen specialist healthcare services across Liberia's fifteen counties.
Participants will also deliberate on expanding postgraduate medical education, improving ethical clinical practice, promoting evidence-based healthcare, enhancing disease surveillance, and reducing dependence on costly overseas referrals through stronger local specialist capacity.
"The Golden Jubilee is more than a celebration of our past achievements--it is a call to shape the future of specialist healthcare in Liberia and across West Africa," said Dr. Musu J. Duworko, Vice President of the West African College of Physicians and Chairperson of the Liberia Chapter.
"This meeting comes at a defining moment for our college and for Liberia. As WACP marks 50 years, we are called not only to celebrate a proud legacy, but to translate specialist knowledge, ethical leadership and regional solidarity into better care for every Liberian. Our responsibility is to ensure that quality specialist healthcare becomes more accessible, equitable and sustainable for present and future generations."
Scientific Exchange Driving Better Healthcare
The scientific component of the meeting will feature presentations based on 13 research abstracts submitted by the College's faculties, highlighting new findings and practical solutions to pressing clinical and public health challenges confronting Liberia.
Scientific discussions will span several disciplines, including Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Community Health, Family Medicine, Psychiatry and Laboratory Medicine, while encouraging physicians to transform frontline clinical experiences into research that informs national health policy.
According to Assistant Professor Philip Z. Ireland, National Secretary of the WACP Liberia Chapter, locally generated research remains essential to improving healthcare delivery.
"The scientific program provides Liberian physicians with an important platform to present local evidence, challenge routine practice and translate research into policies that improve patient care. The true success of this meeting will not be measured by presentations alone, but by the lasting impact those discussions have on training, service delivery and health outcomes across Liberia."
The meeting follows a year of significant achievements for the Liberia Chapter, including the attainment of five-year full accreditation for General Internal Medicine and Pediatrics residency training programs at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center--a milestone widely regarded as a major boost for specialist medical education in Liberia.
The Chapter also recently concluded its Golden Jubilee community outreach program at D. Tweh Memorial High School in New Kru Town, where 174 residents benefited from free health education and medical screening services.
These initiatives underscore the College's commitment to extending specialist knowledge beyond hospital walls and into communities where access to healthcare remains limited.
Beyond scientific presentations, delegates will participate in the Chapter's statutory Annual General Meeting, receive institutional reports, elect a new corps of officers, and discuss Liberia's preparations to host the regional WACP Annual General and Scientific Meetings in 2027--an event expected to bring physicians and health experts from across West Africa to Monrovia.
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The Chapter anticipates that this year's meeting will produce a scientific communiqué containing practical recommendations for policymakers, strengthen collaboration among medical training institutions, encourage publication of Liberian medical research, reinforce ethical standards, and provide a roadmap for continuing professional development.
Dr. Charles Oguni, Honorary Treasurer of the Liberia Chapter, described the upcoming meeting as an investment in the country's healthcare future.
"Beyond the event itself, this meeting represents an investment in continuing professional development, stronger institutions, scientific productivity and accountable leadership. We encourage government institutions, development partners and the broader health community to support this collective effort as Liberia prepares to host the regional WACP meeting in 2027," he said.
Fifty years after its founding, WACP will arrive at its Liberian chapter's 10th AGSM with both a legacy to honor and an agenda to fulfill. The question is whether the momentum of a Golden Jubilee can be converted into the structural reforms that the country's health system urgently needs. That is the goal, according to Dr. Duworko.
