Creating Space for Patients in Medical Publishing | Emma Doble

Joining Caitlin and Clarinda for this episode of Not Just Patients is Emma Doble, Patient and Public Strategy Editor at The BMJ, for a powerful conversation about what it really means to embed patients in medical publishing in more than just name.

Emma leads the BMJ’s patient partnership strategy across the journal and BMJ Group, including the What Your Patient Is Thinking series, patient and public partnership at BMJ events, and support for over 70 BMJ Group journals. She was awarded a Made with Patients Award by the Patient Engagement Open Forum for her work, is a visiting lecturer at King’s College London, and an independent patient advocate advising universities, governments, and NGOs on patient partnership.

Drawing on both her professional experience and her personal journey living with type 1 diabetes since childhood, Emma offers an inside look at how one of the world’s leading medical journals has shifted from “managing informed patients” to recognizing patients as experts and partners in research, governance, and editorial decision-making.

Join us as we demystify medical publications, explore the BMJ’s patient partnership strategy, discuss the culture change required to bring patients into an “ivory tower” space, and break down what true patient involvement could look like for both patients and publishers. 

Chapters
00:00:00 - Introductions and episode overview
00:01:55 - Understanding the medical publishing process
00:08:00 - The BMJ's Patient Partnership Programme
00:12:31 - Breaking into the 'ivory tower'
00:15:33 - Value of patient involvement in medical publishing
00:20:08 - Emma's personal story and career path
00:27:36 - Avenues and qualifications for patient involvement
00:34:32 - Increased acceptance of patients as authors
00:39:52 - Barriers to patient involvement
00:44:17 - Initiatives to help patients get involved
00:48:25 - Emma's long-term dream for medical publishing
00:52:00 - Emma's advice for patients, journals, and publishers
00:54:50 - Reflections with Caitlin and Clarinda

Resources and abbreviations

• BMJ – The British Medical Journal (and BMJ Group)
• BMJ patient and public partnership homepage
• Patient Engagement Open Forum (PEOF) 
• Caitlin and Clarinda's featured interview in the World Medical Journal
• BMJ What Your Patient Is Thinking Series
• Emma's original article in the What Your Patient is Thinking Series
• ICMJE  (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors) authorship criteria
• The BMJ patient and public reviewer sign up
• Journal of Patient Experience
• Journal of Patient Centricity [Disclosure: Clarinda is on the Editorial Board]
• Cochrane

Have feedback or suggestions for us? We'd love to hear from you!
Website: notjustpatients.com
LinkedIn: Not Just Patients
Email: info@notjustpatients.com