The National College of Teachers in General Practice (CNGE) celebrates its 30th birthday in 2013 and thus dedicates the academic recognition of the discipline of general practice. In the 1970s/1980s, following several reforms, general practice was marginalized outside of the University. The gap between training and practice was greatly widened. The awareness and the work of a few pioneers allowed the setting up of experiences of general practice teaching in avant-garde faculties. The CNGE was born in 1983 to gather teachers and trainers around the same ambition: the making of an academic discipline of general practice. Regional colleges were created and joined to begin a long walk together. Educational and scientific core content was clearly identified through several didactic productions, to give a specific basis to the discipline on care, education and research. At the same time, structural changes were implemented, with some difficulties: nomination of associated professors, organization of training in ambulatory general practice, creation of a specialized study diploma, setting up of clinical lectureships for postdoctoral GPs, and especially nomination of the first tenured university professors of the discipline. This advances, despite resistance and delay, allowed in 2009 the real beginning of an academic career in general practice. The road is drawn and the outlooks are favorable to allow students build necessary skills and to develop research in general practice, in the patients interest. This significant change, due to the work of the CNGE, contributes to the revival of primary health care, of which general practice is the main component.
