Updates concerning Sciana Fellows in August 2025
Gesundheitssysteme im internationalen Austausch – Einblicke in Sciana (Health Systems in International Exchange – Insights from the Sciana Network)
In an interview with the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland FHNW, Carlo Fabian (Cohort 7) reflects on his first residential meeting as a Sciana Fellow.
Carlo also discusses the All-Cohort Meeting in Copenhagen. This article is available in English and German.
AI Is a Terrible Therapist
Marc Augustin (Cohort 4) has once again written for Project Syndicate, a connection we're pleased to share that was established through the Sciana Network.
The premise for his latest piece is as follows: "Investors are betting that AI chatbots can treat people who are struggling with mental-health issues and unable to access professional care. But the way large language models are currently trained makes them sycophantic, and thus fundamentally incapable of providing effective treatment."
Richard Stubbs responds to Frontier Economic Report: Defining the Size of the Health Innovation Prize
A new report, "Defining the Size of the Health Innovation Prize", commissioned by the Health Innovation Network and delivered by Frontier Economics, suggests strategic investment in health innovation could unlock £278 billion in economic value for the UK.
Richard Stubbs (Cohort 5), Chair of the Health Innovation Network, CEO of Health Innovation Yorkshire and Humber, said: “This report sets out for the first time the size of the prize to gained from implementing health innovations at scale. At a time of economic challenges and uncertainty, investing in cost-effective, evidence-based health innovations can help stop the cycle of poor health and unemployment by breaking down the health-related barriers to work.
“By improving access to early intervention, personalised care, and timely support, we can help more people manage their conditions and enable them to return to work – improving their quality of life while also boosting the economy.”
The report includes a statement from the Health Innovation Network co-signed by the chief executives of England's health innovations networks. In addition to Richard, this also includes Dominique Allwood (Cohort 6) and Rishi Das-Gupta (Cohort 4).
Digital Health Innovation: IG eMediplan wins national award
Sven Streit (Cohort 5) and IG eMediplan, of which he's co-chair, have recently had reason to celebrate.
This summer, IG eMediplan was honoured with the Innovation Prize of Allianz Q in Switzerland for its contribution to patient safety and digital health. The eMediplan aims to be a nationally standardised medication plan that bridges the gap between hospitals, general practitioners, pharmacies, and patients.
In Switzerland, there are currently more than four million eMediplans issued per year in the health care sector. The initiative helps to reduce errors in polypharmacy, improves collaboration across care providers, and empowers patients to better understand and manage their medications.
Sven said, “Medication safety is one of the blind spots of health systems worldwide. With eMediplan, we are building a foundation for safer care, better communication, and ultimately more trust between patients and providers.”
The award is a recognition of how collaborative leadership, patient engagement, and digital innovation can come together to deliver real-world impact.
Improving population health and recognising kindness as a strategic asset
In an interview with the Sciana Network, Dominique Allwood reflects on her Sciana experience, what she is learning about systems leadership, and her first few months as CEO of Imperial College Health Partners.
Birgit Bauer appointed to the OECD's Data free flow with trust (DFFT) Expert Group
Congratulations to Birgit Bauer (Cohort 5), who has been appointed to the OECD's Data free flow with trust (DFFT) Expert Group.
In this international group of experts, Birgit will contribute her expertise as a patient expert alongside representatives from science, politics and business to the development of global strategies for secure, trustworthy and innovation-friendly data exchange.
Birgit, who is the founder and coordinator of Data Saves Lives Germany (DSL DE), said, "‘This is not only a personal honor, but also a clear signal: patient perspectives belong in international decision-making bodies – not as a fig leaf, but as an active participant. While patient participation in decision-making processes is not implemented across the board in Germany, it is a reality in the OECD – and DSL DE is actively involved in shaping it."
Out of Office, Still in Charge
In her latest blog, Sarah Hughes (Cohort 3) explains why she's recommitting to self-care this autumn and why a new conversation on sustainable leadership is needed.
Sonja Kahlmeier to moderate panel discussion at Swiss Public Health Conference
Sonja Kahlmeier (Cohort 6) is set to moderate a panel discussion at the upcoming Swiss Public Health Conference.
She'll moderate a discussion titled "Mental health, determinants and responses: a Swiss perspective". Discussants include Linda Nartey, Thomas Minder, Charles Bonsack and Paolo Bianchi.
The Swiss Public Health Conference is organised each year by the Swiss Society for Public Health and the Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+).
Nick Kirby becomes interim chief operating officer at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Congratulations to Nick Kirby (Cohort 7), who has become interim chief operating officer at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Nick, who's been in this position since July, said on LinkedIn, "It will be great to work again with the full range of amazing people who make up our hospital community and with partners in health, care, education and life sciences.
Katharina Kappelhoff appears on "Wege der Allgemeinmedizin" podcast
Katharina Kappelhoff (Cohort 6) has appeared on a recent episode of the "Wege der Allgemeinmedizin" podcast, which Kompetenzzentrum Weiterbildung Hessen produces.
She and fellow guest Dirk Bender discuss how the PORT Health Network operates and share insights from their careers.
Helen Crimlisk to take on new role at Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust
Congratulations to Helen Crimlisk (Cohort 5), who will take on a new position as of 2 November.
It has been announced that Helen's role will be associate medical director and director for innovation, research and development.
In a LinkedIn post, Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust shared, "Helen has provided exceptional leadership as our executive medical director over the past 18 months. Her clarity, courage and care have guided us through significant change, and these qualities will continue to shape our future as she leads our ambitions around innovation and research [...]"
First results published from clinical trial involving two Sciana Fellows
A multicentre, cluster-randomised clinical trial involving two Sciana Fellows has had its first results published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
The Family Support Intervention in Intensive Care Units (FICUS) Trial sought to test the effectiveness of a nurse-led, interprofessional family support intervention in ICUs on quality of family care, family management, and individual mental health. It included a strong patient and public involvement strategy.
As a nurse researcher, Rahel Naef (Cohort 2) has been collaborating with Judith Safford (Cohort 3) as a patient research partner on this project for the past four years.
The investigation found "nurse-led, interprofessional family support intervention in ICU had a small, statistically significant, but clinically uncertain benefit on family satisfaction, and relevantly improved quality of communication and cognitive/emotional support of family."
Sciana Fellows share expertise in panel discussion on healthcare entrepreneurship
Sciana Fellows Manuela Eicher (Cohort 3) and Rudolf Blankart (Cohort 5) contributed to a panel discussion on healthcare innovation last month.
The panel discussion took place as part of this year's SPINE Summer School in Lausanne. Both shared details about the evolution of the Symptom Navi Programme.
