Running Mad Professor

27/11/2025

Use of routinely collected health data is an invaluable resource for medical research, saving lives and livelihoods, yet only around 3 percent of the data we collect is ever used.

The European Health Data Space (EHDS) is a fantastically ambitious project to change this, joining up data sources for the benefit of individual patients, research and policy.

Chairing the panel discussion following the Federation of European Academies of Medicine (FEAM) Annual Key Lecture 2025 in Brussels - where I was representing the Academy of Medical Sciences - gave me a great opportunity to learn more, and reflect on the Liverpool’s Civic Health Innovation Labs (CHIL) and how .

The day opened with an excellent keynote by Prof Luis Marti-Bonmati on AI and Radiology. He showed how AI is already reshaping imaging, but also how far we still have to go on data quality, transparency and trust.

Our panel, “From Data to Care: Securing Trust in the European Health Data Space,” brought together four outstanding contributors:
• Katleen Janssens, Belgian Health Data Agency
• Timothy Yeung, CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies)
• Sofia Peltola, Sitra (TEHDAS2 joint action and Value from Nordic Health projects)
• Katarina Vujović, OECD

My key takeaways were:
1. Governance and culture matter as much as technology.
Member States need clear decisions about responsibilities and access. The biggest barrier is often institutional reluctance to share data rather than the legislation itself.
2. Trust must be built deliberately.
If people do not trust how their data will be used, they opt out, and whole communities risk disappearing from the evidence base. Securely sharing anonymised data is a no-brainer for most people once they understand how it saves lives.
3. Transparency supports confidence.
Citizens are far more willing to allow secondary use when they understand what it means and how it is governed.
4. We need a genuine “data culture.”
Beyond compliance, we need a mindset that sees data as a strategic public asset that can improve care, research and innovation.
5. EHDS will succeed only if it can show real-world value.
Concrete examples that demonstrate how shared data leads to better diagnosis, faster discoveries and fairer health outcomes will be critical to the success of all health data projects..

Europe has a valuable opportunity to build a trusted, secure and genuinely useful health data ecosystem. It will be fascinating to see how this develops alongside similar initiatives such as Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) and NHS England Trusted Research Environments.

Whilst in Brussels, we also took the opportunity to meet colleagues at EFPIA - European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, Science Europe and the UK Mission to the European Union. We were comparing notes up on all things research, including our shared ambitions for FP10 Europe’s multi-annual funding programme for research and innovation.

26/11/2025

I am looking forward to joining the Encephalitis International Conference 2025 next week.

On day 1, I will be presenting 'How to Get Your Grant or Fellowship' and on day 2, I will chair Session 3 and later present the 'EAN–ESCMID Guidelines on the Diagnosis and Management of Encephalitis in Adults Caused by Infection' in Session 4.

If you have not yet registered, you're heading towards the final opportunity to do so.

More information and the full programme is available on the link below.

See you there!

We are delighted to present to you the highlights of Encephalitis Conference 2024. This year programme included four keynote and guest lectures, twointroduc...

24/11/2025

A new creative health campaign, led by Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine - LSTM in partnership with Writing on the Wall, Sahir House, Liverpool City Council Public Health, is harnessing the power of community storytelling to raise awareness, combat stigma, and support public health action around Mpox.

Funded by The Pandemic Institute, Mpox: What’s Your Story places lived experience at the heart of outbreak preparedness. Through workshops in Toxteth Library, community participants co-created poems and an animation that turn real experiences into resonant public health messages. These free-to-use assets aim to support national preparedness and strengthen trust between communities and public health services.

Dr Charlotte Hemingway explains:
“By listening to and amplifying the voices of these communities, we created health messaging that resonates, by centring people and not the disease.”

Read the full story here:

A new creative health campaign, led by Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), in partnership with Writing on the Wall, Sahir House, Liverpool City Council Public Health, is harnessing the power of community storytelling to raise awareness, combat stigma, and support public health action aroun...

24/11/2025

🧠“Clinical research is not an optional extra — it is the engine that drives better care.”

In his latest blog, Professor Tom Solomon CBE FRCP FMedSci, our President and a member of our Scientific Advisory Panel, sets out a vital message: research must remain at the heart of the NHS which follows the publication of a Position Statement by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges’ Academic Leads Committee.

At Encephalitis International, we strongly endorse and support this Statement.

Research-active clinicians, protected research time, and sustained investment are essential if we are to improve diagnosis, treatment, and long-term outcomes for people affected by encephalitis.

As Dr Ava Easton, Chief Executive, writes: “For conditions like encephalitis, where timely discoveries can mean the difference between recovery and lifelong impact, supporting research-active clinicians is vital.”

We stand firmly behind this vision - because patients and families deserve nothing less.

📖 Read the full blog here: 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-research-must-stay-heart-nhs-aomrc-pikoe

21/11/2025

Almost everything we do in healthcare is underpinned by research, from the treatments we offer to the way we train and deliver care. Yet opportunities for NHS staff to take part in research are shrinking, and that threatens the future of innovation and better patient outcomes.

We’re calling for protected time for research in NHS job plans, flexible training pathways, and national standards that make research a core measure of healthcare quality.

Research isn’t a luxury; it’s what drives better care, a more motivated workforce, and a stronger health system for the future.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-research-must-stay-heart-nhs-aomrc-pikoe

When I was a medical student in Mozambique studying hypoglycaemia in children with malaria, I saw how every sample and observation could make a difference. That experience set me on a path investigating emerging brain infections and showed me how research and clinical care are intertwined: every pat

20/11/2025

A fantastic couple of days at the Meningitis Research Foundation conference at BMA House in London.

It was a great opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and reflect on global progress towards the World Health Organization (WHO) Defeating Meningitis by 2030 roadmap. MRF and the Confederation of Meningitis Organisations continue to make an outstanding contribution, supporting vital research and advocacy.

The World Health Organization estimates that 1 in 6 people who contract bacterial meningitis will die and 1 in 5 survivors will live with lifelong disabilities rapidly diagnosis to get people on the right treatment saves lives, so I was pleased to present our work on improving diagnosis of meningitis and other brain infections through a simple, scalable clinical and economic intervention. This is now being rolled out internationally with WHO. Huge credit to Dr Bhagteshwar Singh and our collaborators across Brazil, India and Malawi.

There were excellent presentations throughout including Dr Netravathi M from National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bengaluru on tackling bacterial meningitis in India; Dr Fiona Cresswell on TB meningitis and what recent trials mean for the future; and Professor Joseph Jarvis on major advances in cryptococcal disease treatment.

We also heard powerful personal testimonies from families affected by meningitis - a reminder of why this work matters.

As Vinny Smith highlighted, we still have a long road to reach the 2030 targets, but the progress is real. The Meningitis Progress Tracker, hosted by MRF, is becoming an invaluable tool for countries wanting to assess their position and identify gaps.

A really inspiring meeting and great to see such momentum globally.

18/11/2025

I'm looking forward to presenting “Brain Infections Global – a sustainable programme to improve the management of brain infections in Africa, Asia and Latin America” tomorrow at Meningitis Research Foundation Conference 2025.

See you there!

Meningitis and septicaemia are dangerous diseases which can kill in hours. We provide life-saving information and fund vital medical research into the diseases.

16/11/2025

Honoured to reflect on this year’s Academy of Medical Sciences International Health Lecture and the powerful reminder it offered: the lessons learned from HIV aren’t historical footnotes - they continue to guide how we confront today’s global health threats.

From pandemics to climate pressures to the corrosive spread of misinformation, the global health landscape isn’t getting simpler. But the principles that shaped the HIV response - courage, collaboration, and a relentless commitment to truth - remain as relevant as ever.

Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim delivered a masterclass in both insight and urgency. I’ve shared my thoughts on the discussion and where we go from here.

https://acmedsci.ac.uk/more/news/science-diplomacy-and-global-health-beyond-hiv-lessons-from-africa-and-the-world

It was a privilege to co-chair the International Health Lecture 2025, co-hosted by the Academy and The Lancet and expertly delivered by Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim FRS of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa.

14/11/2025

What a fabulous Climate Special issue of The BMJ week.

Including the superb piece on how climate change is driving infectious diseases in Brazil, by Professor Vicente from the Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória, and colleagues. I’ve seen the emergence of dengue, Zika and chikungunya there myself through our Emerging Infections research at The Pandemic Institute in collaboration with Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz)

I especially appreciated the articles offering practical guidance for clinicians - for example, the very thoughtful piece by Laura Clarke OBE and Hugh Montgomery on how “big emitter” countries and companies must be held responsible for climate-related deaths, and the role medical professionals can play by appropriately characterising and attributing disease burden linked to the direct and indirect impacts of climate change (including through ICD coding). Hugely useful.

The article explaining the impacts of extreme heat by Professor Xu and colleagues was also extremely informative.

Huge congratulations - and many thanks - to Kamran Abbasi and all involved at BMJ

So many thoughtful articles. Highly recommended reading for all clinicians concerned about climate and health. Which should be all clinicians!

14/11/2025

It was a pleasure to attend the Royal College of Physicians Med+ 2025 conference this week.

It’s always valuable to come together with colleagues, connect with familiar faces, and reflect on the issues shaping our profession. Events like this remind us how important it is to keep learning from one another, whatever stage of our careers we’re in.

For anyone who wasn’t able to attend, or would like to revisit the discussions, the recorded sessions are available to watch online until 10 February:

https://rcpconferences.co.uk/med-plus-2025

11/11/2025

What a fantastic first day at the Royal College of Physicians !

I had the privilege of introducing the opening keynote with Dr Birju Bartoli who outlined the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust journey and their focus on putting patients first, respect, and always improving.

Later, I also chaired the plenary session with Professor Kevin Fong, Professor of Public Engagement and Innovation at University College London (UCL) who delivered his fascinating closing keynote on how advances in AI and robotics are transforming modern medicine and shaping the future of healthcare innovation.

It’s been exciting to bring together leading voices in medicine and see such engaging discussions unfold. Looking forward to day two!

10/11/2025

Are you a physician with a passion for medical publishing and strategic leadership? Applications are now open for clinical editor for .

The roles are open to and . This is an opportunity to shape the editorial direction of our membership magazine and develop thought-provoking articles for our diverse membership.

Learn more and apply: https://ow.ly/gntg50Xmzna

Read the latest edition of Commentary: https://ow.ly/RlUP50Xmzn9

The deadline for applications is Sunday 30 November 2025.