The power of networking

In the current climate of Brexit-fuelled instability, researchers need to unite through their aims, passion, and dedication to public health. The Society for Social Medicine and Population Health provides an anchor to our objectives and visions, linking our overall engagement in the scientific community.

SSM unites academics across all levels of seniority

Not so long ago, we created the SSM Network Platform aiming to facilitate a starting point for informal networking to share ideas and foster connections between SSM members with similar research interests across different levels of seniority. These networks are influential not only in bringing connections into an online domain but also in introducing people with similar interests to each other via interest groups and mediated introductions that take place now at every Annual Scientific Meeting. Last year in Glasgow, we held 3 Network Interest groups: 1) Methodology for Observational Research (Peter Tennant, Mark Gilthorpe); 2) Healthy Ageing (Janice Atkins, Dorina Cadar, Carol Jagger) and 3) Health inequalities/health policy (Kathryn Skivington, Simon Capewell). This year in Cork, we continued with the Methodology for Observational Research and Healthy Ageing.

As a current member of the SSM, you will be able to access the Network Platform through a private and secure area of the website named Members Area, under the following link: http://www.hg3.co.uk/ssm/members.aspx.

Now, SSM members could find out information and research interests of other SSM members via the Network Platform, by selecting the Search heading. If you would like to connect with other SSM members on specialised professional interests within the SSM community, please select Forum discussion heading and introduce a key topic of interest (e.g., diet, mental health, policy).

For more information on how to use the Network Platform, please click the following links for further details: Network Platform FAQs, Step by Step User Guide, and the Network Platform Code of Conduct. These documents can also be downloaded from

Talking to Strangers Without Being Awkward Is Way Easier at Conferences

Conferences are one of the single best ways to network. Did you enjoyed a talk or liked a poster? Reach out and express your views, building a connection. You might find yourself in a productive conversation.

For those who are not so keen and brave in reaching out, the SSM Network Platform provides an alternative. The access to member’s only section on the SSM website that allows a member to see and search for up-to-date profile research interests of other SSM members. This creates the visibility needed and provides the members with the possibility to “follow” another member, for senior members if they are available for mentoring junior members, and for junior members to indicate if they are looking for a mentor.

Should you wish to opt-out, and choose not to share your details with other SSM members, please log in to the Members Area, select ‘Update your details’ and then scroll down to the bottom and tick the box at the bottom of the page.

By joining and contributing to these network interest groups, we could enhance a new SSM community experience, based on collaborations and mutual support, with many members joining research interests groups and supporting each other throughout their academic careers, building on the mentoring scheme and SSM collaborations. This is a vision to which we aspire, and I hope you will be able to join us too.