By Dr. Joseph Lightfoot
“The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest her or his patients in the care of the human frame, in a proper diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.” – Thomas A. Edison
The first Move Eat Treat Summit is taking place at the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health, at University College London on the 27th November 2013. Delegates are from a whole host of healthcare disciplines.
Move Eat Treat was founded in 2011 when we realised our medical school curriculum had not equipped us to deliver effective advice to our patients on how to live a healthy lifestyle. To put it simply, we learnt about disease, but we did not learn about health. From this motivation we set up an organisation which now both campaigns for educational change but also delivers and supports initiatives to improve the education of healthcare professionals on lifestyle advice.
Our ultimate vision is to help create a healthcare system, which doesn’t wait until patients become ill before it acts, but works to keep the population healthy – a true health service that is proactive rather than reactive.
Since 2011, Move Eat Treat has grown to a team of six individuals, with a supporting network of ambassadors throughout the UK and a fantastic advisory board that includes world leaders in their fields. This summit would not be possible without their work, and also the support of the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health, and the Physical Activity Research Group (PARG) at University College London.
This summit’s primary aim is to bring together people who share the common goal of improving the health of our nation through proactive healthcare. Delegates at the conference will include leaders from the world of medical education and clinical practice, as well as exercise medicine and nutritional experts on top of a whole host of allied health and fitness professionals.
The agenda for the day takes an unconventional route. As well as traditional keynote talks, the conference also includes a “soapbox auction” where individuals can spend five minutes talking about a project, and other delegates can signal their interest in supporting or collaborating on the project via the use of auction cards. Furthermore, in order to encourage successful networking “collaboration notes” will be dotted around the conference to allow people to quickly jot down ideas, and share information. The hope is the summit set up helps the sharing of knowledge, ideas, resources and contacts, ultimately stimulating productive conversation to build collaborations between individuals and organisations.
“Connecting with other health professionals at the event will enhance and improve not only your own practice but, hopefully, by taking these ideas forward, have a positive impact on the practice of our future healthcare practitioners and a significant effect on the health of our nation” explained Move Eat Treat Director, Helen Macmullen.
To find out more, book your ticket and apply for a soapbox auction spot visit: https://moveeattreat.eventbrite.co.uk/