Sweaty palms as the plane takes off, nose pressed against the window staring through the clouds at the foreign land down below, the excitement of having a pristine hotel room with ensuite bathroom all to yourself, wondering whether the meatballs in Stockholm will taste better than the ones in Ikea. These aren’t the thoughts of a child, but a 54-year old man going back to an in-person conference for the first time 3 years. ...more

Unknowingly, I have walked past the Springer Nature offices almost every weekday for the past five years on my way to school. The automatic doors would slide open as we walked past in the early mornings and we would sometimes look inside past the barriers guessing what they would lead to.  ...more

As restrictions in the UK are beginning to feel like a thing of the past, I have been reflecting on my time with the Springer Healthcare IME team, having joined amid the global pandemic in January this year, and plunged into the deep end with the entrance into a new disease area. ...more

Last Thursday (7th July), the IME team put on their black tie outfits to attend the 2022 Communique Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London’s Mayfair. We had two programmes shortlisted as finalists that evening, and we were absolutely delighted when one of our entries (our rare disease “FOP: Recognition, Treatment and Hope” program) won the category entitled Excellence in Professional Education Programmes. We beat off strong competition from large agencies such as Langland, Havas and Lucid, in one of the most hotly contested categories that evening (it had the highest numbers of finalists of any category). ...more

What do patient-reported outcomes, precision medicine, and shared decision making actually mean in the modern era of healthcare? Evidence-based guidelines and expert consensus now highlight the importance of incorporating patient preference when developing management plans. Patients who are empowered to contribute to decisions about their medical care often experience improved outcomes, such as reduced anxiety, faster recovery and increased adherence to their treatment regimens. ...more

This famous quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin could summarize the soul of the times we currently live in. Time is not infinite and therefore is, I think, the most valuable asset we possess. If you work in the medical education arena, you know that healthcare professionals are BUSY (yes, with capital letters). Not only do they have to help their many patients, but they also need to keep up to date with the latest developments in their area of expertise. All in addition to going to conferences, participating in advisory boards or research meetings, etc… ...more