This report was produced for the World Medical Association (WMA) by Sara Thomas of the UCL Institute of Health Equity.

The aim of this report was to contribute to Professor Sir Michael Marmot’s Presidency of the World Medical Association and to support the WMA’s Declaration of Oslo on the Social Determinants of Health. It explores evidence and case studies to highlight the ways in which doctors, national medical associations and the WMA can act on the social determinants of health and improve health equity.

These actions include high level advocacy and advice, shaping policies at local, national, regional and international level, partnering and collaborating with sectors outside health, and doctors’ individual interactions with patients during clinical encounters.

A strategy for the WMA and national medical associations is outlined, as well as practical approaches for medical professionals and their associations to incorporate the social determinants of health into their everyday practice and broader societal roles.