Finalist
Medics 4 Rare Diseases in Partnership with emotive
Summary of work
We think of rare diseases as rare, but collectively they are not. In fact, one in 17 people in the UK has a rare condition. Rare diseases are pervasive, affecting every aspect of patients’ and caregivers’ lives. However, the medical profession is actively taught not to ‘think rare’ when assessing symptoms and this indifferent attitude has contributed to delays in accurate diagnoses and access to potentially life-changing care. Originally conceived as a small, student-based society hoping to elevate awareness among doctors in training, Medics4RareDisease (M4RD) expanded in 2018 to address the limited understanding of rare diseases across the medical profession. In 2019, M4RD and emotive began a deep partnership that would transform the charity into a force to be reckoned with. To date, emotive have invested over £250,000 in pro-bono fees, supporting M4RD with a wide array of activities including fund-raising, annual symposia, ambassador engagement, student voice prizes, social media strategy, policy change and an extensive online learning platform. Our partnership with M4RD goes way beyond the financial. We truly believe M4RD has the power to change how the medical profession approach rare diseases and are committed to supporting them with the vital work they do, any way we can.
Judges’ comments
The judges thought Medics 4 Rare Diseases was a fabulous campaign. They liked that the whole agency was involved and were impressed by the commitment from emotive, with a real passion for the cause. Really impressive support of the charity.
