#Endos
The #ENDOs Project is a groundbreaking EU-funded initiative designed to educate and support adults living with chronic diseases, with a specific focus on endometriosis. With the potential to impact 14 million individuals across Europe—many of whom refer to themselves as “ENDOs”—this project seeks to empower them to take a more active role in their healthcare journey.
What sets #ENDOs apart is its innovative approach, which merges art, culture, and skill development to create user-centric learning tools. These tools aim to foster a vibrant and engaged community of ENDOs and their caregivers. By leveraging performing and visual arts, storytelling, narrative medicine, and cutting-edge digital tools, the project facilitates deeper understanding and more effective communication between healthcare professionals and ENDOs.
Drawing inspiration from the everyday experiences of ENDOs, the project develops artistic and digital resources to demystify medical terminology and promote a more inclusive healthcare environment. #ENDOs not only aims to advance knowledge in medicine and healthcare but also strives to build a supportive European community advocating for a fairer and more equitable healthcare system. Crucially, it shines a spotlight on gender-related healthcare disparities, contributing to the broader goal of improving the status of women in society. Check out our first digital exhibition here: “Pain Unseen: Narratives of Endometriosis”!
The project’s partners—key stakeholders in adult education, healthcare, digital technology, research, arts, and culture—ensure a comprehensive and collaborative approach to patient education and empowerment. These partners are based in Finland, Sweden, France, Italy, and Ireland, reflecting the project’s diverse and pan-European scope. Cluster co-lead, Dr. Loïc Bourdeau, is an active member of this project, focusing on narrative tools to collect testimonials, train health professionals with narrative medicine workshops, and develop new creative materials by ENDOs. Maynooth University’s Innovation Value Institute (Prof. Markus Helfert and Dr. Marco Alfano) play a key role in developing the digital platform and tools that make medical language accessible to all who live with this condition.