Dear EFMI Family,

As the end of 2024 approaches, I want to take a moment to reflect on our shared achievements in the EFMI Family and look forward to the promise of the coming year. This has been a year of connection, innovation, successful conferences, and some growth for EFMI, proving the strength and commitment of what our vibrant family delivers. I am thrilled about the upcoming year’s potential for us as informaticians.

Together, we can celebrate the success of MIE 2024 in Athens and STC 2024 in Timisoara, events that showcased the depth of expertise within our family and the meaning of collaboration in shaping the future of informatics in the digital transformation of healthcare. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to all participants, speakers, and organizers for their tireless efforts in making these conferences exemplary platforms for knowledge sharing and networking.

Two exciting initiatives took center stage after MIE 2024: the Advanced School of Medical Informatics (ASMI) and the Knowledge Graph Project. ASMI represents a bold step forward in nurturing young professionals and leaders in our field, offering them a structured, interdisciplinary approach to addressing emerging challenges in healthcare transformation. Similarly, the Knowledge Graph Project embodies our commitment to FAIR principles, making EFMI’s wealth of knowledge accessible, reusable, and impactful across the broader European informatics ecosystem.

Both initiatives were discussed in detail during the informative Council meeting in Timisoara before STC 2024, and ASMI was also presented at the conference. At the council meeting before MIE 2025 in Glasgow, the council will approve those two flagships and discuss the size of those initiatives in EFMI for the coming years.

Looking ahead to 2025, my vision remains steadfast: strengthening EFMI as a meeting place in the “non-profit” ecosystem, focusing on understanding, collaboration, innovation, and inclusivity in Europe and beyond. Our family continues to grow, supported by initiatives like yEFMI, which fosters the next generation of health informatics professionals, and our institutional member projects, which lay the foundation for future advancements in the advancement of health using digital services and tools. We also benefit from our working groups, which delve deeply into specific areas, and the tireless engagement of our national organizations, which continuously strive to create meaning and insight in transforming healthcare from an informatics perspective. They are the brokers for the future.

As digitization accelerates and artificial intelligence, including large language models, becomes central to healthcare, our role as informaticians becomes more vital than ever.

 

We are the architects of understanding in an era of vast and

complex information. Like the navigators of ancient seas, we chart

paths through the uncharted waters of data and technology, ensuring that humanity—not just machinery—remains at the heart of healthcare.

 

As we embrace the new year, let us carry forward the values that unite us—collaboration, innovation, and a shared purpose to improve healthcare for all. Together, we will continue to focus on the profound contribution we, as informaticians, bring to society, ensuring EFMI remains a beacon of progress and a cornerstone of healthcare transformation.

May this festive season bring joy and warmth to you and your loved ones. I look forward to continuing this journey with all of you in the coming year.

With warm regards and best wishes for 2025,

Lars Lindsköld
President, EFΜΙ