David won a World Organization of Family Doctors (Wonca) Foundation Award in 1998 for a project to develop family medicine in rural India. The award was presented at the closing ceremony of the 15th Wonca World Conference of Family Medicine in Dublin, Ireland.

The Wonca Executive were amazed with what David achieved with a modest budget of GBP 1.500. The project was successful in developing a sustainable model of family practice appropriate to the needs of the local population and able to be continued by the local doctors. The project has stood the test of time and David was approached to develop and adapt the model used in India for a rural part of Cambodia.

David was awarded a further Wonca Foundation Award at the 19th Wonca World Conference in Cancun, Mexico in May 2010 to support the project in Cambodia. David remains the only New Zealander to have won this award.

David's Current Family Medicine Project - Developing Family Medicine in Rural Cambodia

David Whittet Foundation