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Ask the editor: 60 seconds with Dr Felix Holl
BMJ Group recently launched BMJ Connections Digital Health & AI, an open-access journal that sits alongside BMJ Digital Health & AI.
Both journals publish original research, but the Connections journal has scope to publish more — including negative results and specialist studies — from medicine, computer science, public health, and related fields. Dr Felix Holl is the journal’s editor.
Holl is deputy head of the DigiHealth Institute at Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences in Germany, where he leads research on digital health innovations - with a particular focus on global health, humanitarian, and disaster settings. He chairs the global health informatics working group of the American Medical Informatics Association and deploys in the field as a disaster response delegate for the German Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and WHO.
Why did you want to lead this journal?
I've seen too many great digital health and AI ideas die in pilots or fail in real-world care. I wanted to help build a journal that connects innovation with evidence, implementation, and real impact — not just shiny tech. We need fewer demos, more outcomes.
How will it contribute to the digital transformation of healthcare?
By putting real-world relevance first: what actually works, what scales, and what doesn't. We prioritise evaluation, implementation, and learning from failure — across different health systems and contexts. The goal is transformation that improves care, not just tools.
What keeps you busy beyond work?
My next dive. I've been scuba diving in over 25 countries — and the underwater world is still the best offline mode I know.