Bob Mash is a family physician in South Africa. His clinical practice was in Khayelitsha one of the largest townships in Cape Town, where he worked for many years with community health workers and in community health centres. He now works for Stellenbosch University and leads the Department of Family and Emergency Medicine. He also works with the Western Cape Government’s Department of Health and Wellness on services for people with diabetes and on the implementation of community-orientated primary care. He is interested in improving the quality of primary health care and promoting the contribution of family doctors. He co-ordinates a network of Departments of Family Medicine and Primary Care in sub-Saharan Africa and is the President Elect for the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) in the African Region.