Dear HIFA colleagues,
Thank you very much for welcoming me to the HIFA community. ��
My name is Sebastian Schmidt-Kaehler, and I am Senior Advisor of the Healthcare Program at the Bertelsmann Foundation in Germany. I have a professional background in public health and educational sciences, and my work has always been focused on health literacy, health information and advisory services, digital health, and human-centered health communication.
Over the years, I have combined academic research, public service, and strategic consulting - working on health communication at Bielefeld University, leading Germany’s National Patient Advisory Service, and advising major healthcare organisations in Germany and internationally on patient-centered communication and care.
My current focus is InfoCure, a non-profit international initiative developed by the Bertelsmann Stiftung, an independent foundation dedicated to promoting social progress and strengthening societal participation. InfoCure is developing an international certification system for trustworthy providers of digital health information. Based on structural and process indicators, the certification is intended to help online platforms, search engines, social networks, and AI applications identify and prioritise reliable sources.
Our ambition is to strengthen the visibility and reach of trustworthy, evidence-based information and thereby help reduce the impact of health mis- and disinformation in the digital space. We are particularly interested in international cooperation, global standards, and approaches that are applicable across different national and resource settings.
I look forward to learning from the HIFA community, exchanging experiences, and exploring opportunities for collaboration.
Best wishes,
Sebastian Schmidt-Kaehler
Dr. Sebastian Schmidt-Kaehler
Senior Advisor
Healthcare program
Bertelsmann Stiftung
Carl-Bertelsmann-Straße 256 | 33311 Gütersloh | Germany
Phone: +49 5241 81-81863 | Fax: +49 5241 81-81999
E-Mail: sebastian.schmidt-kaehler@bertelsmann-stiftung.de | www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de
The Bertelsmann Stiftung, based in Gütersloh, Germany, is a nonprofit, private operating foundation in accordance with Section 1 of North Rhine-Westphalia's Foundation Law.
The district government of Detmold serves as its supervisory authority.
Founder: Reinhard Mohn
Chairman of the Board of Trustees: Bodo Uebber
Executive Board: Dr. Brigitte Mohn (Chairperson), Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart, Wilhelm-Friedrich Uhr
HIFA profile: Sebastian Schmidt-Kaehler is a Senior Advisor at Bertelsmann Stiftung, Germany. Professional interests: Certification of trustworthy health information providers. Email address: sebastian.schmidt-kaehler AT bertelsmann-stiftung.de