Last Saturday saw more than 250 people attend a Medact conference on the interfaces between health, politics, ecology, economics, and violence. There were about 30 speakers including well known figures from the world of health (Richard Horton, Iain Chalmers, Allyson Pollock, Andy Haines, John Lister, and Jacky Davis). But there were also speakers from other […]
Mike Davis: Is a team leader born or made?
I am writing this after attending the 25th European Resuscitation Council Symposium in Krakow, where colleagues from Europe and beyond, and across a range of specialties, gathered to explore developments in understanding the management of cardiac arrest. It will come as no surprise that one of the topics of discussion was non-technical skills, particularly team […]
Billy Boland: The answer to leadership is greater than 7.3
Multi-source feedback and I didn’t get off to a great start when I found out that, when it came to being a doctor, my colleagues rated me as 7.3. I think my response at the time was something like “huh?” or perhaps “uh-huh.” Or maybe “uhh…” I can’t remember. I was gathering opinions for my […]
Suchita Shah: Polio resurgence in Syria—the importance of vaccination in wartime
Today, on Remembrance Day, while the nation remembers the fallen, battles continue to rage throughout the world. Alongside wars, the scourge of disease is claiming victory over the weak and dispossessed. Less than two weeks ago, the WHO reported 10 cases of wild poliovirus isolated from 22 children with acute flaccid paralysis in Syria. Most […]
Richard Lehman’s journal review—11 November 2013
NEJM 7 Nov 2013 Vol 369 1783 When you’ve already tried dasatinib and nilotinib, should your thoughts be turning to ponatinib? In case you’re wondering what I’m talking about, these drugs are tyrosine kinase inhibitors and are used to treat chronic lymphatic leukaemia, and acute lymphatic leukaemia if it is Philadelphia chromosome positive. Ponatinib has […]
Gabriel Scally: International health starts at home
The sheer number (more than 600) and range of exhibitors that set up stall at the American Public Health Association’s annual meeting is, for me, one of the most interesting aspects of the entire event. The biggest group of exhibitors by far are the academic institutions. A huge number of US universities and schools of […]
Sandeep Kumar Panigrahi: Infectious disease surveillance in India
On the occasion of its Golden Jubilee, the Indian Academy of Paediatrics launched Project “Uday” (meaning Rising), which aims to develop an early warning system for paediatric diseases in India that can be prevented by vaccines. The project, which consists of a reporting system, also aims to generate data on the burden of vaccine preventable […]
Grania Brigden: TB patients take the stage—now for an R+D model that meets their needs
At last week’s Union World Conference on Lung Health, TB patients finally took centre stage, with patients invited to describe the realities of the two year treatment regimen for multidrug resistant TB (MDR-TB) and advocacy groups storming events to call for greater vision in TB treatment and research. Their stories and concerns mirrored those shared […]
R Srivatsan: Seemandhra, Telangana, and healthcare prospects in the region
On 9 October 2013, an Indian newspaper reported that over 4000 babies died due to a lack of acute medical care because of an electricity failure in the region now known as Seemandhra. The electricity workers were on strike and this had plunged the region into a blackout that started on 8 October and ultimately […]
Kieran Walsh: Do you believe in interprofessional education?
Do you believe in interprofessional education? Do you believe in problem based learning? Do you believe in objective structured clinical examinations? Do you believe in reflection in action? Or reflection on action? Do you believe in the NHS? Do you believe in NICE? What do you believe in? When I first moved to the UK […]