Tuesday the 25^th of March at Maersk Tower, Panum, University of Copenhagen, DCAcademy grant recipient, Marlene Schouby Bentestuen, held a thought-provoking Midterm Symposium bringing together stakeholders with diverse backgrounds to gain insight into the challenges and advancements in drug safety and personalised medicine in cardiology.

Over the course of the afternoon, representatives ranging from leading experts, clinicians, and industry professionals to patient and public involvement were successfully brought together facilitating an interdisciplinary dialogue. Interesting talks and a panel discussion sparked stimulating conversations in the audience and raised critical questions. To this, organiser, Marlene Schouby Bentestuen says: “Several participants appeared to embrace the learning outcomes, specifically patient and public involvement, and showed an interest in applying them to their respective fields.”

New perspectives spark audience debate

With the aim to gather perspectives from various stakeholders to understand the challenges and advancements in drug safety and personalised medicine in cardiology, Marlene successfully engaged the audience, embraced debates and ensured all voices were heard.

Fundamental questions exploring the challenge of communicating health complexity were raised during a talk from a speaker with a background in history and philosophy. This perspective provided an opportunity for the audience to reflect on multiple questions sparking a debate.

“This raised fundamental questions: How can we discuss health and illness in ways that reflect this complexity? How can we develop communicative strategies that help patients, policymakers, and the public navigate the increasingly complex and multidimensional scientific insights? Presented by a speaker with a background in history and philosophy, this perspective offered a novel framework beyond the biomedical model and sparked an engaging conversation with the audience”, says Marlene.

Fostering communication between stakeholders

As well as exploring a variety of topics including historical insights and clinical challenges, the Midterm Symposium also focused on industry perspectives, patient voices and societal dynamic. The importance of fostering communication between stakeholders to navigate the complexities of health care today was especially emphasised. Bringing together speakers including:

• Jacob Tfelt-Hansen, Professor, MD, DMSc, Section of Genetics, Dept. of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen and Dept. of Cardiology, The Heart Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet.
• Adam Bencard, Associate Professor, PhD, Dept. of Public Health, Medical Museion and CBMR
• Christiane Gasse, Associate Professor, RPharm, Dr.rer. medic., Dip Epid (McGill), Board member of Dansk Selskab for Personlig Medicin (DSPM).

Expanding network and knowledge exchange

This Midterm Symposium was a collaboration between DCAcademy, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus University Hospital Psychiatry/ Region Midt, and University of Copenhagen. Reflecting on the outcome of the event, Marlene highlights various positives results such as potential future collaborations.

“It expanded my network, which may be valuable for future collaborations and knowledge exchange. Organising the event also gave me practical experience that has made me feel more prepared to take on similar academic initiatives in the future. Importantly, it put me in contact with a research group whose work aligns with my interests, and I hope this connection will lead to future collaboration” Marlene adds.

Explore more DCAcademy Midterm Symposia this year

A DCAcademy Midterm Symposium is a mandatory element of the DCAcademy Grant Recipient programme. Some of the symposia include:

• Challenges and Opportunities in the Rising Epidemic of Atrial Fibrillation by Nicklas Vinter, 3 April 2025
• Acute Cardiovascular Care by Johannes Grand and Kristina Miger, 9 May 2025
• Exploring Cardiovascular Regulation and Adaptation – In Motion, In Balance, In sight by Jakob Solgaard, 20 May 2025
• New Initiatives in Cardiovascular and Prehospital Medicine by Filip Gnesin and Signe Amalie Wolthers, 20 June 2025.