Looking ahead to 2024
As 2024 approaches, Royal Society of Medicine leaders share their thoughts on the coming year.
Dr Teresa Castiello, President of the RSM Cardiology Section
What does 2024 have in store? What should we be talking about?
“In 2024, we need to think about improving the quality of care with a different perspective. Elevating the quality of care hinges on the well-being and expertise of those delivering it: the physicians of today and tomorrow. If we want well-treated patients, we need to have well-treated physicians. Physicians need to be inspired by excellent teaching, feel supported and guided, and have the best conditions to deliver care. If we fail to do so, we will fail to deliver quality care.”
What do you hope to achieve in the next 12 months?
“London is a truly unique city, exuding a vibrant energy and brimming with opportunities. Within a year, life can unfold with incredible intensity. While my role at RSM is undoubtedly meaningful, it is just one piece of a larger puzzle I am passionately working to assemble. As Cardiology President, I am driven by two primary goals:
- Enhance trainee engagement: Fostering a deeper engagement among cardiology trainees is essential to cultivate a thriving future for the specialty.
- Reimagine cardiovascular training: To prepare the next generation of cardiologists for the evolving healthcare landscape, I advocate for a renewed focus on prevention, personalised care, and digital health. These elements are fundamental for the future of cardiovascular care.
“I am committed to working tirelessly towards these goals, ensuring that the RSM remains a model of excellence in cardiology education and research. I am excited to embark on this journey and collaborate with my colleagues to make a lasting impact on the future of cardiology.”
What are you most excited about for 2024?
“I am most excited about the shift towards real innovation in 2024. While the COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly posed a significant challenge for healthcare systems worldwide, it has also acted as a catalyst for an unprecedented acceleration of digitalisation. As we enter 2024, I believe we stand at the cusp of a transformative era in healthcare, poised to witness the emergence of ground-breaking innovations that will redefine the delivery of care.”
Professor Roger Kirby, RSM President
What does 2024 have in store? What should we be talking about?
“Some more great “In Conversation Live” interviews, starting with Henry Dimbleby in January!”
What do you hope to achieve in the next 12 months?
“Stabilisation of our RSM finances and moving ahead on the modernisation of our property at 1 Wimpole St.”
What are you most excited about for 2024?
“Handing over the Presidency to my outstanding successor: Professor Gillian Leng CBE in July. I know that she will do a brilliant job!”
Professor Gillian Leng, RSM President-Elect and Dean of Education
What does 2024 have in store? What should we be talking about?
“Hopefully improvements in capacity and morale across the NHS. But we need to be talking about - and enacting - the practical changes that we can make safely to reduce the carbon footprint of healthcare.”
What do you hope to achieve in the next 12 months?
“I can’t achieve this on my own, but I would love to see the Royal Society of Medicine on a strong path to recovery following the pandemic, offering a great set of programmes for a wide range of specialities.”
What are you most excited about for 2024?
“I will be very excited to take over as President of the RSM from Roger Kirby. He led the organisation brilliantly through the pandemic, creating an invaluable opportunity for staff across the UK to engage in the latest developments through the COVID-19 webinar series.”
Dr Julia Manning, President of the RSM Digital Health Section
What does 2024 have in store? What should we be talking about?
“It’s hard to prioritise, the needs are huge, but I hope the RSM can contribute to thinking on skilling the workforce to harness technology wisely, deploy it with dignity and further empower patients.”
What do you hope to achieve in the next 12 months?
“We’re looking to grow our section and further demonstrate our forward-thinking! The Digital Health Section has another event on AI planned for April and, personally, I would love to showcase the tech-enabled advances in eyecare.”
What are you most excited about for 2024?
“Seeing some of the Digital Therapeutics we showcased last January become widely available to the public through the NHS, both as cheaper alternatives to medication and as a way to better engage and empower patients.”
Dr Jacqueline Phillips Owen, President-Elect of the RSM Psychiatry Section
What does 2024 have in store? What should we be talking about?
“We should be talking more about the transition from adolescence to adulthood and gaining a better understanding of the mental and physical changes and environmental mediators that influence physical and mental health, academic attainment, decision-making and ultimately life chances.”
What do you hope to achieve in the next 12 months?
“A conference bringing together health and education to address the moderators and determinants of mental health and disorder in the vulnerable transition between adolescence and early adulthood from a neuroscientific, educational, epidemiological and first-person perspective.
“A return to thinking about the roots of our practice as psychiatrists. Our section is putting together two conferences that seek to illuminate the experience of living with mental illness through literature and music. Basic science is undeniably essential to the advancement of medicine, but doctors and medical professionals should also aspire to deepen their knowledge of a patient’s journey through illness, suffering, and recovery, to understand what matters most to the people we treat.”
What are you most excited about for 2024?
“Taking on the presidency for the Psychiatry Section in October and bringing these ideas to fruition alongside my excellent and dedicated colleagues at the RSM.”
Missed our review of 2023? You can read it in our news section.