MedMedia opens for business in Monkstown, Co. Dublin. MedMedia signs publishing contract with Irish College of General Practitioners. In October 1991, the first edition of the new full-colour monthly GP publication, Forum, journal of the ICGP, is published. It is an immediate success, both with readers and advertisers.
MedMedia signs contract with Irish Nurses Organisation to take over publication of its monthly journal, The World of Irish Nursing. A new title, 'Clinical Forum' is developed as a specialist GP publication, and we also began a 17-year run publishing The Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine. This year also saw MedMedia relocate to larger premises in Dun Laoghaire.
MedMedia Campaign, the creative division of MedMedia, is formally launched, and begins to acquire healthcare and pharmaceutical clients and to develop advertising and marketing campaigns on their behalf.
The World GP Congress – Wonca – comes to Dublin, bringing some 4,000 family doctors to the RDS. MedMedia marks the occasion by producing four special editions of a full-colour tabloid newsletter, 'Wonca Daily News', with full reports and photo coverage delivered by 9am each morning of the Congress.
To cope with continuous expansion, MedMedia purchases a new four-storey office headquarters in Dun Laoghaire
August sees the launch of MedMedia's most ambitious project to date, the consumer health website, Irishhealth.com After several months of feverish editorial, technical and programming work involving a team of 10, the site finally went 'live' at midday on August 31st, 2000. It was an immediate success, garnering positive media reviews and attracting thousands of online visitors.
A vintage year for MedMedia Campaign included wins in the UK 'Best of Health' awards in London, as well as the RX Club of New York for creative projects involving Lipitor and Lipostat. This year, MedMedia Campaign emerged as the single largest healthcare creative agency in Ireland.
Launch of RateMyHospital.ie, the critically acclaimed ratings website which allows patients to complete an in-depth 23-part online questionnaire into their experience with the Irish hospital system. The launch garnered extensive media attention and, after initial scepticism, was broadly welcomed by many within the healthcare system as allowing a valuable feedback channel for the views of patients, their families and carers.
Our most prestigious award to date was recognition of RateMyHospital.ie as one of the world's top five 'E-Health' projects, as assessed by the UN-backed World Summit Awards bi-annual programme, which reviewed some 24,000 projects in over 140 countries. Senior MedMedia staff travelled to Venice, Italy in November 2007 to receive the award, which was presented by former French Minister and current MD of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde.
In the biggest deal in medical publishing for many years, MedMedia acquired all the publishing assets of M&C Group, including Modern Medicine of Ireland, Hospital Doctor of Ireland, Irish Psychiatrist, the Irish OTC Directory. Most of the editorial staff of M&C transferred to join MedMedia's expanded editorial team in Dun Laoghaire.
Highlight of this year was the launch of GPlearning.ie, a CPD-accredited online educational resource for GPs, which is the first element of the development of the online health portal for professionals, Irishhealthpro.com