For the first time in our area, on September 18 and 19, 2021, we had the opportunity to listen to the unique medical-communication summit Back Together, which gathered as many as 40 of the most respected and well-known Croatian health workers, scientists, and communicators in one place. Last weekend they shared their knowledge and experience (acquired both within the borders of our country and abroad) with the wider public in order to increase health literacy and improving the quality of life.
Health and educational content available with one click of the mouse
A rich two-day program offered twelve multidisciplinary lectures so that all viewers could improve their understanding of health information, learn more about trends in the world of medicine, listen to how scientists feel about the current crisis, and generally improve their own health, as well as the health of their children and loved ones. Of course, these kinds of events also help popularise science, and thanks to modern access and online transmission, everyone interested could follow the words of experts entirely free of charge in the comfort of their own home. All they had to do was register through the official website of Back Together Summit.
“I am very glad that the first Back Together Summit generated so many positive reactions from the audience. It is my pleasure to be part of this story, whose main purpose is to inform the general public. The main intention was to bring complex topics closer to the common man who does not have a medical or scientific background, and I can say that we succeeded. Croatian public needs interesting content, as well as innovative models of acquiring new knowledge and sharing experiences, and I would like to thank everyone who registered through our website and followed the programs. We have big plans, and the vision for next year is to make an even bigger and richer Back Together Summit”, pointed out Natko Beck, MD, specialist in radiology, and one of the organizers along with Vesna Babić and his wife Tajana Beck.
This year’s Back Together Summit guests were impressive
Attractive lectures on the first day of the summit were dedicated to some of the most popular topics in our environment. Prof. Sanja Musić Milanović, PhD, MD, specialist in epidemiology, was one of the lecturers on the panel Watch over us – Children’s Health, discussing the ways in which, in these times of crisis, we can best preserve and improve children’s health. In addition, the main topics of the remaining panels concerned the health literacy and mental health of the nation, presence of science and medicine on social networks, quality of the Croatian health system, future of medicine and inevitable corona crisis.
“Denmark’s population is 85% vaccinated, which is a good example. I would like to see the same situation in Croatia tomorrow, but this is unrealistic. In times of crisis, there was a lack of quality messages in Croatia. We needed to have targeted campaigns and different messages to make people understand the importance of vaccination. Educational programs aimed at target groups are of key importance for the public to understand the purpose of necessary vaccination, and that is where we failed. For a long time, the public has been dominated by contradictory information coming from the top, from top scientists who say that we have defeated the virus, but we are still in a dangerous situation. As a result, citizens are confused and lose their compass, while scientists and doctors lose their credibility. Once it is lost, it is difficult to regain trust. All the conflict we have created with the COVID-19 virus is a product of false information and media pollution, not science. Look at accurate data and listen to those who have credibility, even if it was difficult at times”, pointed out prof. Ivan Đikić, PhD, MD, molecular biologist, during the panel discussion Wind of Change – COVID agenda – What have we learned? where all the changes caused by the virus pandemic in the medical and social aspects were discussed.
This event was accompanied by equally relevant discussions the second day, with answers to numerous questions provided to the public in an understandable manner during the panel There is a secret connection – Nutrition-Genetics, I like the way you move – The power of movement, Check It Out – Prevention is Better Than Cure, Forever Young – AntiAge Revolution and App me up – New horizons.
“Our mental and physical condition is closely related to the concept of anti-aging. I advocate a comprehensive view of health, so I believe that diving, which I practice in addition to dermato-venerology, is an excellent fitness sport that helps me keep all the muscles in my body active, get rid of stress and relax my body and mind. All these factors really affect the physical appearance itself, more precisely the skin”, emphasized Nevia Delalle, MD, specialist in dermato-venerology during the Forever Young – AntiAge Revolution panel, which discussed aging processes and the most common solutions that modern people resort to in order to maintain a healthy, vital and youthful appearance. Moderators Tajana and Natko Beck, Daniela Trbović, Petar Štefanić, Ivan Šarić and Ana-Marija Liberati Pršo maintained a positive atmosphere, to the satisfaction of all present spectators and speakers, who ensured the smooth flow of all two-day panel discussions.
Positive reactions and results as motivation for the future
During Saturday and Sunday, the broadcast of the summit was followed by more than 7,000 people with as many as 296 new subscribers to the YouTube channel.
Given that there has been an extremely high interest from the public and the media for this kind of unprecedented event in the region, we believe that the turnout for the next one will be even greater. We are especially happy and proud that we from the CTA komunikacije team had the opportunity to be part of this unique story by providing communication support. We would like to thank everyone involved for their engagement, as well as their many words of support.
If you would like to know more about the first Back Together medical-communication summit, you can find a part of the atmosphere on the official profiles on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and the YouTube channel.
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