In early November, under the alternating autumn sunshine and misty fog that cast a quiet, atmospheric charm, the D-CREDO project held its inaugural meeting at the Collegium Maximum Conference Center of Jagiellonian University in Kraków. Attended by 20 in-person participants and 5 online, the meeting included all D-CREDO project partner institutions from Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Ukraine, and two associate partners, Prof. Steven Durning from Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, USA, and Prof. Maciej Malawski from Sano Centre for Computational Personalized Medicine in Kraków. The Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Prof. Przemko Kwinta, opened the meeting with a reflection on the role of digital tools in clinical reasoning and medical education. As a group, we shared experiences on previous and related initiatives that set the foundation for our project, particularly the DID-ACT and iCoViP projects, which D-CREDO directly builds upon. Other significant projects were also highlighted, including TAME and Ukraine DigiTrans, implemented by Bukovinian State Medical University.
The D-CREDO project begins with a focus on two main activities: a rapid literature review and a targeted needs analysis. These initiatives lay the groundwork for developing learning units on digital health tools in clinical reasoning. The team has made considerable progress with data collection in both activities. The Kraków meeting provided an ideal opportunity to synchronize tasks. Alongside its educational aims, D-CREDO aspires to advance research on digital tools in clinical reasoning education. The consortium unites experienced researchers while also fostering growth for those newer in the field. During the meeting, we brainstormed collaborative research activities and made initial plans for joint conference submissions and larger publications.
The consortium is especially appreciative of the support from associated partners. Maciej Malawski, director of the Sano Centre in Kraków, presented an overview of Sano’s research projects as an example of partner associated organization activities. This led to a discussion on maximizing synergies and mutual benefits that come from external experts. Our partners’ diverse profiles will require a tailored approach to collaboration, aligning each other’s activities for optimal impact. Jointly we discussed a strategy on how to engage with a growing community around our project interested in technology-enhanced clinical reasoning education.
Face-to-face meetings create a strong team spirit that influences incomparably stronger positive emotions and engagement than will ever be possible in virtual meetings. With ice-breaker integration activities embedded into the meeting agenda, joint lunches, and dinners we enhanced our internal connections and motivation. For many international attendees, this was their first visit to Kraków or even Poland. A rooftop dinner overlooking Wawel Castle and the Vistula River offered magical moments as we admired the play of lights across the city at night. The second dinner at Szczepański Square, close to the Main Square, provided a taste of traditional Polish cuisine, making the inaugural meeting a memorable experience.
The D-CREDO Kick-off meeting in Kraków fostered a climate of intensive collaborative work, blending rich tradition with ambitions for digital transformation. This has energized us to tackle the challenges ahead we might face in the project. For now, we return to regular online meetings, but the next in-person meeting will take place in Munich at the end of May, and we have already begun preparations with much anticipation.