Supporting early-career voices in improvement work
The next generation advisory panel (NGAP) ensures that the perspectives of early-career healthcare professionals inform the planning and delivery of the International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare. The panel advises on programme development and provides strategic direction on how the International Forum can better reflect and involve those at the beginning of their improvement careers.
NGAP emerged from experience rather than design. At the International Forum in Copenhagen in 2023, discussions on multigenerational improvement surfaced a familiar tension. Early-career clinicians often carried responsibility for change, while decisions about priorities and direction were shaped elsewhere. Emphasis at the conference on collaboration prompted reflection on how those closest to day-to-day care could play a more direct role in shaping improvement conversations.
For registrars, Jamie Smyth and Emily Audet, this moment clarified the opportunity. Together with fellow International Forum Fellows Riddhi Shenoy, Emma Tonner, Victoria O’Brien, Tom Hine-Thomas, and Maja Troj Larsen, they formed NGAP. Each recognised the same pattern of strong motivation to improve care, paired with limited access to senior spaces where improvement agendas were set.
The 2024 International Forum in London marked the panel’s first formal year, chaired by Audet. The panel supported the delivery of a provocation session for senior leaders, bringing early-career perspectives directly into senior-level discussions. For Audet, chairing the panel was less about visibility than trust. Being invited by the International Forum convening bodies, BMJ Group and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) to help shape sessions and speak openly with senior leaders changed how she saw her role in improvement work.
“For the first time, I felt my experience was being treated as expertise, not something I had to wait years to earn.”
Emily Audet
Palliative care registrar, general internal medicine, NHS, UK
That trust proved formative. It strengthened confidence to contribute in senior spaces and reinforced that early-career perspectives can inform improvement in practical and credible ways. Being invited into the conversation signalled that frontline experience had value now, not later.
By the International Forum in Utrecht, the panel was formally embedded within the programme. Its work has supported early-career clinicians and professionals to present their work, build connections, and participate in the conference as active contributors rather than observers.
Having now chaired the panel over the past two years, Smyth believes it contributes to the International Forum’s sustainability by introducing new delegates who return as contributors and speakers. He has witnessed firsthand how the panel helps renew the community while strengthening links across generations. Smyth also feels that his close involvement has strengthened his leadership practice in public health and reinforced the value of bringing experience and new perspectives together across generations.
“Empowering future generations of patients and health professionals is vital, and only through multigenerational collaboration can we begin to address the challenges facing health systems across the globe.”
Jamie Smyth
Speciality registrar in public health, Imperial College Healthcare Trust, UK
More about the next generation advisory panel
The next generation advisory panel is a representative group that ensures that the views and interests of early-career healthcare professionals are represented throughout the planning and delivery of our International Forums in Quality and Safety in Healthcare.
The panel plays a pivotal role in providing support and advice during our planning meetings, and critically, providing a strategic direction for achieving greater representation of early career healthcare professionals during Forums, an essential part of our growing community.
Attending Oslo?
Join the Aspiring Leaders in Healthcare Network (ALiHN) early career professionals networking breakfast
This is the perfect opportunity for early-career professionals to connect with peers from around the world, build a supportive community for your time in Oslo, and discover how ALiHN empowers future healthcare leaders. Begin your conference with new connections, shared ideas, and a strong sense of community.
Dr Emily Audet, Severn Hospice, UK
Dr Jamie Smyth, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust; UK
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