Letter from the Editor
Both Sides Now Recently, a friend of mine visited Kenya, where she has been helping to support a school for Maasai girls – who don’t normally get what we would consider even an elementary education. Alhough she has been involved with the school for several years, and has sponsored several girls, my friend’s trip was a revelation to her. She was greeted with great celebration, songs and gifts (the Maasai make fabulous beaded jewelry). Most poignant of all, she got a sense of how meaningful an education was to girls who otherwise might have led very marginal lives, and been marNEIL GREENBERG ried off to men they hardly knew. Now horizons have expanded immensely for these young women, who can imagine a future they never knew about before. Entering a common profession – becoming a teacher or an office worker – is a major leap upward for them, an opportunity to help others, and live a previously unimaginable lifestyle. It reminded me of our industry. Many of you work tirelessly to make sure doctors get the information they need to improve treatment options, to see that patients learn how to manage their conditions wisely and efficiently. But how much do you know about the lives of these patients? How often do you get to experience their joy at conquering a disease, or improving their quality of life? You may not be the scientists who developed the drugs or the devices, nor the physicians who have direct contact with the patients. But, somewhere in there, you deserve a share of the thanks and laughter that comes with the results of your products. I’ve seen many videos of patients explaining the benefits they’ve received. I’ve been to meetings where some of these patients address the people who work on the products. And I know that they’re just as excited and grateful as those Maasai girls who greeted my friend. Their horizons have been expanded. Their bucket lists are more attainable. As an industry, we spend a lot of time discussing patient-centricity (see The Aurora Project’s report in this issue). We tend to see it as an activity in which we continually make the patient’s life experience better. But there’s another side to patient-centricity. It’s appreciating the results of your hard work in the burgeoning joy of people who now have more hope, and bigger dreams. As always, we continue to look for the value of your contributions. Let us know if you have an idea for an article—the people we write for are the people who write for us.
Neil Greenberg, Editor To become an HS&M contributing author or provide feedback, please email me at ngreenberg@hsandm.com.
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