✨ This week I had the honour to speak at Economist Impact Future of Health, alongside the AI in Health Summit, at Royal College of Physicians London, in a panel dedicated to one of the most pressing questions in global health:

🍏How can we shift from a system focused on curing illness to one where prevention is truly the cornerstone of good health?

Together with brilliant colleagues —
🔹 Thomas F. Lüscher, President of the European Society of Cardiology
🔹 Janet Smith, Head of Sustainability at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust & Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
🔹 Katie Tryon, Commercial Director at Vitality Health
moderated by Elly Vaughan, Economist Impact — we explored how prevention can move from aspiration to reality.

In my intervention, I emphasised a paradox:
👉 We already have overwhelming scientific evidence on the risk factors for cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
👉 What we lack is adequate implementation.

That is why we must invest not only in implementation, but also in implementation science — especially in action research, which allows us to generate knowledge and intelligence while we act. This creates a feedback loop where every prevention intervention is refined and becomes more effective.

Through the Living Lab model we developed in the 4P-CAN Project, and further strengthened in PERFECTO – FH and CURTAIN Project , we are demonstrating how personalised prevention can become reality. By combining citizen engagement, social sciences, and health data, we can shift the paradigm — from generic prevention to personalised, community-driven prevention for both cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

🌍 Prevention is not a luxury. It is the foundation of sustainable health systems — and we now have the tools, models, and evidence to make it happen. What we need is the courage to implement at scale.

Caroline Broderick Nehal Dwivedi Elizabeth Sukkar Dr Vivek Muthu Riyadul Karim (Riyad) BA, MA, SRPharmS, AFPH

Centre for Innovation in Medicine