Satellite symposia are an integral part of modern medical conferences, providing healthcare professionals with vital opportunities to take part in small group discussions specifically designed to meet their continuing medical education needs. They are a chance for physicians to meet and hear from other professionals in their therapy area including, if they are lucky, a renowned national or international KOL in the field.
We can’t be right all the time – and perhaps we learn more from mistakes than we think. But it’s important to be wrong in the right way. Leadership that honestly acknowledges uncertainty and that invites opinion and feedback from the wider team is key to good decision making – and a strength rather than a weakness, even when the ultimate decision ends up wrong.
Thomas Edison said “I never quit until I get what I’m after. Negative results are just what I’m after. They are just as valuable to me as positive results.”
It’s a phenomenon that is seen in all sorts of situations, from comedy panel shows to government summits and medical congresses. In fact, all-male panels are such a common occurrence they’ve even been given their own name: the manel.
The manel, or its brother the manference, is often a consequence of oversight, rather than a purposeful planning decision. It takes time and effort to ensure a diverse speaker line-up, but broadening the perspectives brought into a discussion creates space for fresh viewpoints and more engaging debates.
We are pleased to announce that we’ve now set our targets for greenhouse gas reduction, using the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) framework.
The SBTi aims to drive ambitious climate action in the private sector by enabling companies to set science-based emissions reduction targets. In the case of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) such as us, this has been simplified into a target of 50% reduction in Scopes 1 and 2 emissions, which should for most SMEs be in line with the Paris Accord’s aim of limiting climate change to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
Coupled with the technological advances over recent years, significant developments of diagnostic and monitoring platforms have alleviated pressures faced by front line doctors (1). Within the field of cardiology, the ongoing sophistication of medical devices has improved patient quality of life for a range of different cardiovascular-related illnesses such as ischaemic heart disease and hypertensive diseases.
In her new monthly blog, AS&K Head of Digital, Katherine Vik, sifts through the latest news from the digital frontline and selects her highlights.
First up, the social media companies that just keep on growing
(July 2021, London, UK) -- Medical communications group AS&K has set ambitious emissions reduction goals using the Science Based Target initiative’s (SBTi) framework for SMEs.
Today we reopened our offices in London after almost 18 months. However, our team decided to follow the data not the dates, and just two people came in.
We don’t blame them. With COVID numbers still high (though starting to come down again) we want everyone to feel safe at work. We are happy for people to continue to work from home for as long as they want to.
We also know that our people are keen to get back together. A recent poll found the top five things that we’ve missed about actually working together in the office are:
Many public healthcare systems are based around a ‘sick care’ model where people seek and receive treatment when they fall ill. With many countries grappling a growing and ageing population (1), there is an increasing overall burden on healthcare systems per capita. One way of managing the growing demands on healthcare systems is a refocusing of resources and treatment towards a ‘preventative care’ model. In such a model, people are treated earlier, before they become ill, and they are assisted in maintaining healthy, active lifestyles.