Breakfast Session 1

Patient power walk - in memory of Tessa Richards

Organised by the European Health Forum Gastein

Our dear colleague and Advisory Committee member Dr Tessa Richards passed away peacefully in February 2026. Tessa was a staunch patient advocate who was transformative in her time as an editor of the British Medical Journal in bringing patients to the foreground and arguing for their role as equal partners with health professionals in all aspects of healthcare to achieve better health outcomes, improve satisfaction, increase safety and efficiency. As the BMJ wrote in her obituary, when Tessa arrived at the Journal in 1983 patients were an afterthought, but by the time she retired 30 years later the BMJ had a patient editor, a patient advisory board, and over 1000 patient and public reviewers, with patient involvement now embedded across the editorial process. 

Tessa was an active and determined person who we will fondly remember both for her achievements and her fighting spirit, intellect, dry sense of humour and positive, “can-do” attitude. Join us for this morning power walk to boost your energy, attention-span and alertness for an intense few conference days, during which we will share memories of Tessa and discuss her legacy.