In past editorials we have communicated on the evolution of medical communications and have rightfully observed many significant changes within the field. It is true that, today, our profession has an abundance of resources available to communicate health information and the breadth of our roles has grown tremendously with new stakeholders and audiences seeking medical research. This year, we communicate a term even bolder than evolution and observe the maturity of our profession as medical communication professionals achieve major milestones in our “coming of age” journey. Fuelled by both the opportunities created during the COVID global heath pandemic and advances in communication sciences, our profession has achieved a critical place in ensuring that patients receive the most appropriate care, based on reliable, timely, and credible medical research. This is the current hallmark of our profession which has now been publicly recognized as an irreplaceable gear in the systematic delivery of medical research to health care decision makers.
It has been said that “chance only favours the mind which is prepared” (Louis Pasteur, 1854) and the same is true of our profession, which rapidly ascended to a place of highly visible importance when the COVID pandemic created a world-wide need for medical research and rapid answers. Almost overnight lay persons were using the terminology of our trade as they sought to understand research studies and discern among the multiple scientific messages being communicated. Medical communication professionals were well-prepared for the task at hand and were at the ready with tools, resources, and experience to infuse and disseminate the medical literature with research related to COVID disease, treatments, population health, vaccines, etc. to name just a few key scientific concepts. Indeed, the importance of our field and the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP) was heralded by Advancements TV with Ted Danson, which broadcast a national television segment on our profession and our Society within the United States and beyond. There could, perhaps, be no greater testament to the coming of age of our field than the honour of being featured within a television news feature. Medical communication professionals should feel a sense of pride for our achievements and the world-wide recognition of our craft.
This year, during the 18th Annual Meeting of ISMPP, held 9–11 May 2022 we thematically addressed our profession’s maturation with a focus on “Future-Ready Medical Communications.” This theme was born in our observation that our profession, with a forward-thinking orientation, has historically delivered quality medical research and the prediction that the future will continue to provide opportunity for our profession to hold critical importance. This 18th Annual conference delivered an immersive educational experience with opportunities for professional engagement. There was an undeniable acknowledgement for the maturity of our profession as evidenced by the world class content and sophisticated engagement of peers. In summary, this continues to be an extremely exciting time to work within medical communications and an equally exciting time for ISMPP, the premier global society for medical publication and communication professionals.
Robert J. Matheis
President and CEO, ISMPP
As observed by Rob, we have reached a new phase in our profession for which we should all be very proud, but we need to guard that with maturity does not come complacency. We have made great strides in many areas over the last 15+ years, but there is still much to achieve and the very tools that we utilize need to continue to develop. In this year alone, and as presented at the 18th Annual Meeting of ISMPP, members of our profession have provided the wider community with tools such as Good Publication Practice 4 (GPP4), an Authorship Algorithm tool, and guidance on how to better include patients in the creation and delivery of health information through the work and subsequent publication of the ISMPP PLS Perspectives Working Group. However, progress in our field cannot only be measured in tools and guidance. We need to continue to strive for wider improvements to our profession, making sure that we achieve improvements in diversity and inclusivity within our organizations and that we continue to hold all members of our profession to high ethical standards. I am very much looking forward to ensuring that these items become further engrained in the strategy of ISMPP and encourage everyone to actively join us on this goal.
Daniel Bridges
Chair, ISMPP Board of Trustees (2022–2023), CEO, Nucleus Holdings