Research in 90sec's: Recent Episodes
Sayra Cristancho
Research in 90 seconds is about exploring the “matter” and “impact” side of research, because let’s face it, convincing people of why your research idea matters is harder than asking the research question.
How to support qualitative researchers whose work addresses challenging, difficult and sensitive topics?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Silverio and colleagues who brought awareness to the little attention that has been given to how we keep researchers safe. By documenting their experiences, they offer practical principles to promote wellbeing of researchers working with challenging, difficult and sensitive topics.
Full citation:
Silverio, S. A., Sheen, K. S., Bramante, A., Knighting, K., Koops, T. U., Montgomery, E., ... & Sandall, J. (2022). Sensitive, Challenging, and Difficult Topics: Experiences and Practical Considerations for Qualitative Researchers. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 21, 16094069221124739.
If not to promote learning, what do teaching evaluations actually do?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Ginsburg and Stroud who shed light on this critical question by bringing awareness to the numerous threats caused by the transactional nature of the system in which teaching evaluations operate.
Full citation:
Ginsburg, S., & Stroud, L. Necessary But Insufficient and Possibly Counterproductive: The Complex Problem of Teaching Evaluations. Academic Medicine, 10-1097.
What's behind prospective entrustment decisions?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Schumacher and colleagues who explored the factors that influence and determine prospective entrustment decisions made by members of such committees. And they found that trainees' ability to know limits and seek help are the foundation of such decision-making.
Full citation:
Schumacher, D. J., Michelson, C., Winn, A. S., Turner, D. A., Elshoff, E., & Kinnear, B. (2022). Making prospective entrustment decisions: Knowing limits, seeking help and defaulting. Medical Education.
What are the challenges of implementing CPD in rural settings?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Campos-Zamora and colleagues who explored the barriers that health professionals in a rural healthcare context in Mexico faced participating in CPD activities.
Full citation:
Campos-Zamora, M., Gilbert, H., Esparza-Perez, R. I., Sanchez-Mendiola, M., Gardner, R., Richards, J. B., ... & Dobiesz, V. A. (2022). Continuing professional development challenges in a rural setting: A mixed-methods study. Perspectives on medical education, 11(5), 273-280.
How can we optimise the educational value of indirect patient care?
In this episode, I feature a paper by O'Toole and colleagues who explored the perceptions of family medicine trainees and supervisors about indirect patient care activities. And in doing so, they uncovered a discrepancy that requires explicit pedagogical attention.
Full citation:
O'Toole, D., Sadik, M., Inglis, G., Weresch, J., & Vanstone, M. (2022). Optimising the educational value of indirect patient care. Medical Education, 56(12), 1214-1222.
How do service user educators experience their storytelling?
In this episode, I feature a paper by LeBlanc-Omstead and Kinsella who troubled the notion that storytelling of service user educators is a wholly positive or benevolent endeavour to bring awareness to its ethical implications.
Full citation:
LeBlanc-Omstead, S., & Kinsella, E. A. (2022). “Come and share your story and make everyone cry”: complicating service user educator storytelling in mental health professional education. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 1-24.
How do research authors interpret and respond to peer-review feedback?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Watling and team who unpacked the complicated role of peer-review as feedback from the perspective of research authors. Despite its many challenges, many authors have come to view navigating peer review successfully as a key professional skill.
Full citation:
Watling C, Shaw J, Field E, Ginsburg S. ‘For the most part it works’: Exploring how authors navigate peer review feedback. Medical Education. 2022 Aug 28.
What do composite narratives offer to medical education research?
In this episode, I feature a paper by McElhinney and Kennedy who explored the role, strengths, and weaknesses of narrative research, and described, in particular the valuable role of composite narratives in medical education research.
Full citation:
McElhinney Z, Kennedy C. Enhancing the collective, protecting the personal: the valuable role of composite narratives in medical education research. Perspectives on Medical Education. 2022 Aug;11(4):220-7.
What does it take to transform a cadaver into an educational tool?
In this episode, I feature a paper by MacLeod and team who engaged in a 2-year ethnographic exploration to reveal the expertise, skills and dedication of medical educators who work with cadavers. And in doing so, they revealed stories of contradiction and pride.
Full citation:
MacLeod A, Cameron P, Luong V, Kovacs G, Patrick L, Fredeen M, Kits O, Tummons J. Negotiating humanity: an ethnography of cadaver-based simulation. Advances in Health Sciences Education. 2022 Aug 22:1-23.
Why is it that virtual care seem to be good for patients but not for learners?
In this episode I feature a paper by Shepherd and colleagues who explored the experiences of teachers and learners about learner integration into virtual care. Even though, faculty expressed a desire to keep virtual care as part of their future clinic practice, paradoxically, most felt that they were unlikely to include learners.
Full citation:
Shepherd L, McConnell A, Watling C. Good for patients but not learners? Exploring faculty and learner virtual care integration. Medical Education. 2022 Jun 22.
What does palliative care learning look like in rural contexts?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Kilbertus and colleagues who unravelled the memorable experiences that healthcare professionals recalled about palliative care learning in a rural setting in Canada. The common narrative arc revolved around difference, discomfort, disruption and departure.
Full citation:
Kilbertus F, King K, Robinson S, Cristancho S, Burm S. Understanding palliative care learning: A narrative inquiry exploring health care professionals’ memorable experiences. SSM-Qualitative Research in Health. 2022 May 20:100098.
What's the role of character-based leadership in medicine?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Torti and colleagues who explored the perceptions of healthcare professionals about the role of character in relation to effective leadership in medicine. As they uncovered, even though individuals believe that character matters, there's still work to do about the culture of the medical community.
Full citation:
Torti, Jacqueline MI, Hamza Inayat, Ali Inayat, Lorelei Lingard, Wael Haddara, and Nabil Sultan. "Perspectives on physician leadership: The role of character‐based leadership in medicine." Medical Education (2022).
How do we keep an eye on salinization of our freshwater streams and rivers?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Kaushal and colleagues who developed a five stage scale to track the progression of the damage that salinization from winter road salts and other pollutants cause in our rivers.
Full citation:
Kaushal, S. S., Mayer, P. M., Likens, G. E., Reimer, J. E., Maas, C. M., Rippy, M. A., ... & Becker, W. D. (2022). Five state factors control progressive stages of freshwater salinization syndrome. Limnology and Oceanography Letters.
How are medical educators and trainees reconceptualizing their roles amidst Covid-19?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Luong and colleagues who unpacked the struggle medical education community members experienced during Covid-19 and how they are renegotiating their professional values, structures and practices.
Full citation:
Luong, V., Burm, S., Bogie, B. J., Cowley, L., Klasen, J. M., MacLeod, A., & LaDonna, K. A. (2022). A phenomenological exploration of the impact of COVID‐19 on the medical education community. Medical education.
How can nuclear power help us reach zero carbon emissions?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Duan and colleagues who show how nuclear might play a crucial role to reduce carbon emissions especially in countries with low wind resources.
Full citation:
Duan, L., Petroski, R., Wood, L., & Caldeira, K. (2022). Stylized least-cost analysis of flexible nuclear power in deeply decarbonized electricity systems considering wind and solar resources worldwide. Nature Energy, 7(3), 260-269.
In a negotiation, how tough is your first offer usually?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Engler & Page who showed that first offers can have a significant impact in a negotiation. However, driving it too tough might not always be a good idea.
Full citation:
Engler, Y., & Page, L. (2021). Driving a Hard Bargain is a Balancing Act: How social preferences constrain the negotiation process. Theory and Decision, 1-30.
How can temperature be measured using stretchable electronics?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Wang and colleagues who developed soft temperature sensors that stretch and twist depending on the application. For example, these sensors can be applied to rescue machines that need to navigate complex contours or wearers of smart clothing. The design functions as a charged temperature-sensitive capacitor the generates voltages according to changes in temperature. The voltage is sensitive to temperature, but insensitive to stretch. This way deformation doesn’t affect temperature measurements.
Full citation:
Wang, Y., Jia, K., Zhang, S., Kim, H. J., Bai, Y., Hayward, R. C., & Suo, Z. (2022). Temperature sensing using junctions between mobile ions and mobile electrons. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(4), e2117962119.
How could our daily smartphone usage betray our privacy?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Shaw and colleagues who analyzed smartphone usage across 780 individuals and found that it is possible to profile a person’s day-to-day use of different apps and that this profile remains consistent over time. This suggests that our daily smartphone usage serves as a digital fingerprint that pose risks for security and privacy.
Full citation:
Shaw, H., Taylor, P. J., Ellis, D. A., & Conchie, S. M. (2022). Behavioral consistency in the digital age. Psychological science, 33(3), 364-370.
How does our brain organize memories to plan future behaviour?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Shahbaba and colleagues who leveraged complex behavioural and statistical machine learning approaches to uncover the fundamental mechanisms by which our brain organizes memories into sequences. This research constitutes a critical early step in understanding memory failure in cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
Full citation:
Shahbaba, B., Li, L., Agostinelli, F., Saraf, M., Cooper, K. W., Haghverdian, D., ... & Fortin, N. J. (2022). Hippocampal ensembles represent sequential relationships among an extended sequence of nonspatial events. Nature communications, 13(1), 1-17.
What does road salt have to do with safe drinking water?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Kaushal and colleagues who performed a comprehensive analysis of the effects of using salt for de-icing roads and fertilizing farmland on our freshwater supply. They refer to it as the Freshwater Salinization Syndrome, which is becoming one of the most pervasive and systemic water quality problems of this century.
Full citation:
Kaushal, S. S., Likens, G. E., Pace, M. L., Reimer, J. E., Maas, C. M., Galella, J. G., ... & Woglo, S. A. (2021). Freshwater salinization syndrome: from emerging global problem to managing risks. Biogeochemistry, 154(2), 255-292.
What would a megastudy tell us about what motivates us to exercise?
In this episode, I feature a megastudy led by Milkman and colleagues that included over 60,000 participants, and 53 motivational programs designed by 30 scientists from 15 universities. Their focus was on what motivates us to exercise. As it turns out, giving people a 9-cent bonus reward if they returned to the gym after missing a workout seemed to work best. While intriguing, without the megastudy approach, this finding might have remained hidden.
Full citation:
Milkman, K. L., Gromet, D., Ho, H., Kay, J. S., Lee, T. W., Pandiloski, P., ... & Duckworth, A. L. (2021). Megastudies improve the impact of applied behavioural science. Nature, 600(7889), 478-483.
How does creativity arise out of sleep?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Lacaux and colleagues who demonstrated how the brain activity common to the twilight zone between sleep and wakefulness ignites creative sparks. At the end, Thomas Edison was onto something when he thought that napping while holding spheres in his hands would help him capture sleep-inspired ideas.
Full citation:
Lacaux, C., Andrillon, T., Bastoul, C., Idir, Y., Fonteix-Galet, A., Arnulf, I., & Oudiette, D. (2021). Sleep onset is a creative sweet spot. Science advances, 7(50), eabj5866.
What’s the physics of a finger snap like in the Avengers movie?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Acharya and colleagues who uncovered the role of skin to skin friction behind how powerful the snap of a finger is. They found, for instance, that the snap of a finger is 20 times faster than the blink of an eye.
Full citation:
Acharya, R., Challita, E. J., Ilton, M., & Saad Bhamla, M. (2021). The ultrafast snap of a finger is mediated by skin friction. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 18(184), 20210672.
What if artificial intelligence machines became teammates rather than tools?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Seeber and colleagues who led an international collaboration to devise the kinds of questions that we will need answers for if we are to embrace AI as a productive teammate. Questions that will require considering implications beyond the technical to include philosophical and ethical issues.
Full citation:
Seeber, I., Bittner, E., Briggs, R. O., De Vreede, T., De Vreede, G. J., Elkins, A., ... & Söllner, M. (2020). Machines as teammates: A research agenda on AI in team collaboration. Information & management, 57(2), 103174.
What makes some people better huggers than others?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Dueren and colleagues who performed an in-depth evaluation of people’s hugging behaviour. They found that the best hugging experience results from 5-10 sec hugs and that criss-cross hugs are preferable. These findings have important implications for the advent of technology-driven autism therapy, such as social robots.
Full citation:
Dueren, A. L., Vafeiadou, A., Edgar, C., & Banissy, M. J. (2021). The influence of duration, arm crossing style, gender, and emotional closeness on hugging behaviour. Acta psychologica, 221, 103441.
How is it that medical education supervisors determine that a trainee needs to be failed?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Gingerich and colleagues. In previous work they identified the phase of disbelief that medical education supervisors go through prior to identifying underperformance. Now in this paper, they describe the shift from disbelieving underperformance to recognizing failure, which is akin to the psychological process of reaching a tipping point.
Full citation:
Gingerich, A., Sebok‐Syer, S. S., Lingard, L., & Watling, C. J. (2022). The shift from disbelieving underperformance to recognising failure: A tipping point model. Medical education, 56(4), 395-406.
What did we learn from the resurgence of Ebola in 2021?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Keita and colleagues who studied the resurgence of Ebola in Guinea in 2021. They showed how even almost five years after the declaration of the end of an epidemic, new outbreaks can still occur. And in this case, not because of transmission from animals, but rather from humans who were infected in a previous epidemic.
Full citation:
Keita AK, Koundouno FR, Faye M, Düx A, Hinzmann J, Diallo H, Ayouba A, Le Marcis F, Soropogui B, Ifono K, Diagne MM. Resurgence of Ebola virus in 2021 in Guinea suggests a new paradigm for outbreaks. Nature. 2021 Sep;597(7877):539-43.
How is it that two people who speak two different languages may look like they are having a conversation?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Cwiek and colleagues who conducted online and in-person experiments with 900 participants who spoke 28 languages. They asked them to listen to a set of sounds and guess what they represented. And they found how certain sounds, also known as vocalizations, can be recognizable to people around the world.
Full citation:
Ćwiek A, Fuchs S, Draxler C, Asu EL, Dediu D, Hiovain K, Kawahara S, Koutalidis S, Krifka M, Lippus P, Lupyan G. Novel vocalizations are understood across cultures. Scientific Reports. 2021 May 12;11(1):1-2.
Why is it that a remarkably small number of songs become so popular?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Rosati and colleagues who found that download count time series for many popular songs resemble infectious disease epidemic curves. This, therefore, suggests that songs become popular in a similar fashion as infectious diseases are transmitted from person to person.
Full citation:
Rosati, D. P., Woolhouse, M. H., Bolker, B. M., & Earn, D. J. (2021). Modelling song popularity as a contagious process. Proceedings of the Royal Society A, 477(2253), 20210457.
How could increasing our intake of "blue" foods help our environment?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Gephart and colleagues who performed a comprehensive assessment of the environmental pressures for more than 2,500 fisheries and aquaculture farms. They found that farmed clams, oysters, and seaweeds, for instance, generate the lowest greenhouse emissions, followed by sardines. As such, blue foods present an opportunity to improve nutrition with lower environmental burdens.
Full citation:
Gephart, J. A., Henriksson, P. J., Parker, R. W., Shepon, A., Gorospe, K. D., Bergman, K., ... & Troell, M. (2021). Environmental performance of blue foods. Nature, 597(7876), 360-365.
How can blue foods help tackling malnutrition? Part 1
In this episode, I feature a paper by Golden and colleagues who provide a thorough assessment of the nutritional value of aquatic or blue foods. They found that some blue foods are actually nutritionally better than beef, lamb, chicken or pork. However to increase their intake, economic strategies are needed to foster production and therefore decrease prices.
Full citation:
Golden, C. D., Koehn, J. Z., Shepon, A., Passarelli, S., Free, C. M., Viana, D. F., ... & Thilsted, S. H. (2021). Aquatic foods to nourish nations. Nature, 598(7880), 315-320.
How does misuse of colour jeopardize science communication?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Crameri and colleagues who bring awareness to the critical role that colour plays in science communication. In particular, they warn us about the ways in which misuse of colour in figures of scientific papers can distort meaning and therefore lead to manipulation of data.
Full citation:
Crameri, F., Shephard, G. E., & Heron, P. J. (2020). The misuse of colour in science communication. Nature communications, 11(1), 1-10.
How long does it take for a voice to become familiar?
In this episode I feature a paper by Holmes and colleagues who investigated the extent to which recognition and intelligibility of a voice improve after different lengths of voice training. And they found that speech intelligibility can be dramatically improved with as little as 1 hr of training. An important insight for training aircraft pilots, for instance, who need to perceive speech accurately despite the noises around them.
Full citation:
Holmes, E., To, G., & Johnsrude, I. S. (2021). How Long Does It Take for a Voice to Become Familiar? Speech Intelligibility and Voice Recognition Are Differentially Sensitive to Voice Training. Psychological Science, 0956797621991137.
How are early adulthood depression and dementia associated?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Brenowitz and colleagues who used innovative statistical methods to discover that having depression in your 20s-40s increases the odds of suffering from dementia later in life. Hence, they highlight the importance of bringing happiness to your life in early adulthood.
Full citation:
Willa D. Brenowitz, Adina Zeki Al Hazzouri, Eric Vittinghoff, Sherita H. Golden, Annette L. Fitzpatrick, Kristine Yaffe. Depressive Symptoms Imputed Across the Life Course Are Associated with Cognitive Impairment and Cognitive Decline. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 2021; 1 DOI: 10.3233/JAD-210588
How can origami help us think about storage space or emergency shelters?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Melancon and colleagues who explained how they drew on origami - the Japanese art of paper folding - for engineering design. In their work, origami principles served as inspiration for designing and building inflatable structures that stay in place after deployment and that can be switched between a variety of shapes. A desirable property for emergency shelters and even for space exploration.
Full citation:
Melancon, D., Gorissen, B., García-Mora, C. J., Hoberman, C., & Bertoldi, K. (2021). Multistable inflatable origami structures at the metre scale. Nature, 592(7855), 545-550.
What does the maple tree have to do with designing electronic microfliers?
In this episode, I feature a paper by an international team of scientists led by Northwestern University engineers who described how the seeds of the maple tree inspired them to design miniaturized, wireless electronic devices useful for environmental monitoring, population surveillance, disease management among other applications. It all comes down to how slow they fall to the ground.
Full citation:
Kim, B. H., Li, K., Kim, J. T., Park, Y., Jang, H., Wang, X., ... & Rogers, J. A. (2021). Three-dimensional electronic microfliers inspired by wind-dispersed seeds. Nature, 597(7877), 503-510.
Research in 90 seconds was born a year ago. After 54 episodes, season 1 is coming to a close. To my fellow scientists, to my listeners and to my big supporters from behind the scenes - Lori, Mike and the CERI team - THANK YOU all so much to helping me make this initiative a reality. It takes a village, no doubt...
Season 2 starts on January 11. Enjoy the Christmas holidays and until then.
What’s one thing a mentor has given you that you will always treasure?
In navigating the death of two mentors, Varpio offers a heartfelt reflection about the indelible impact of mentors. To honour them, she wrote “So lucky: an elegy”.
Full citation:
Varpio, L. (2021). Reflections on the loss of mentors. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 26(1), 329-333.
What happens when simulation becomes the new reality, as opposed to a copy of it?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Johnston and colleagues, who invite us to think reflexively about the educational value of simulation in healthcare. While many benefits have been demonstrated in the last few years, this paper uses the concept of "simulacra" - a copy that is indiscernible from the original and comes to replace it - to help us think about some unforeseen consequences of the rapid uptake of simulation.
Full citation:
Johnston, J. L., Kearney, G. P., Gormley, G. J., & Reid, H. (2020). Into the uncanny valley: Simulation versus simulacrum?. Medical education, 54(10), 903-907.
What's the role of economic affluence in environmental degradation?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Wiedmann et. al., who make us aware of the need for humanity to reassess the role of growth-oriented economies and the pursuit of affluence if we are to address environmental breakdown. Some countries have managed to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions while still growing their economies. However, evidence shows that such strategy will not be sustainable in the long term.
Full citation:
Wiedmann, T., Lenzen, M., Keyßer, L. T., & Steinberger, J. K. (2020). Scientists’ warning on affluence. Nature communications, 11(1), 1-10.
How fatigued is too fatigued to effectively provide patient care?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Field, Taylor and colleagues who explored clinicians' perceptions of workplace fatigue and its impact on clinical practice. And they uncovered a problematic paradox. While participants acknowledged that fatigue had an impact on clinical performance, they were reluctant to acknowledge any negative impact on patient care. As the authors suggest, successful implementation of fatigue risk management in healthcare hinges on explicitly addressing this paradox. And there's much to learn from other high reliability industries.
Full citation:
Field, E., Lingard, L., Cherry, R., Van Koughnett, J. A., DeLuca, S., & Taylor, T. (2021). The fatigue paradox: Team perceptions of physician fatigue. Medical Education.
How can technology help Parkinson's disease patients to manage their tremor?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Zhou and colleagues who optimized the design of a glove that can suppress tremor simultaneously, but independently, in the knuckle of the index finger, the thumb, and the wrist. In preliminary assessments, this glove achieved tremor suppression of 70 to 80%. Considering that the number of Parkinson's disease patients is estimated to double in the next 15 years, this type of technology will be an important contribution to society at large.
Full citation:
Zhou, Y., Ibrahim, A., Hardy, K. G., Jenkins, M. E., Naish, M. D., & Trejos, A. L. (2021). Design and Preliminary Performance Assessment of a Wearable Tremor Suppression Glove. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.
What if people with paralysis could communicate at the speed of their thoughts?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Willett and colleagues who developed a brain computer interface that allows people with paralysis to type at around 90 characters per minute - remember that normal typing speed is about 115 characters per minute. How? By creating an algorithm that deciphers patterns of brain activity.
Full citation:
Willett, F. R., Avansino, D. T., Hochberg, L. R., Henderson, J. M., & Shenoy, K. V. (2021). High-performance brain-to-text communication via handwriting. Nature, 593(7858), 249-254.
What if you could walk further while feeling less tired?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Shepertycky and colleagues who developed a unique exoskeleton that assists users by removing energy - energy that can be used to power itself and power portable devices.
Full citation:
Shepertycky, M., Burton, S., Dickson, A., Liu, Y. F., & Li, Q. (2021). Removing energy with an exoskeleton reduces the metabolic cost of walking. Science, 372(6545), 957-960.
Why do we need multilingual science?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Ramirez-Castaneda who raises awareness on the unintended consequences of the English dominance in science on non-English speaking scientists. As one of the goals for modern society is to increase scientific production from Africa, Latin America, Middle East, and developing Asia, the author calls attention to the need to increase strategies for multilingualism in scientific journals.
Full citation:
Ramírez-Castañeda, Valeria. "Disadvantages in preparing and publishing scientific papers caused by the dominance of the English language in science: The case of Colombian researchers in biological sciences." PloS one 15, no. 9 (2020): e0238372.
What's the science behind espresso making?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Cameron and colleagues who developed a mathematical model to help elucidate the parameters of coffee extraction in espresso making. Espresso is the most widely consumed coffee beverage, yet the most susceptible to variation in quality. However, with this model, the authors showed that using fewer coffee beans and grinding more coarsely, are the key to a drink that is cheaper to make and more consistent from shot to shot.
Full citation:
Cameron, M. I., Morisco, D., Hofstetter, D., Uman, E., Wilkinson, J., Kennedy, Z. C., ... & Foster, J. M. (2020). Systematically improving espresso: Insights from mathematical modeling and experiment. Matter, 2(3), 631-648.
What would an economy without growth look like?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Hickel, who brings attention to the negative consequences of economic growth in relation to its environmental impact. An alternative he advocates for, is "degrowth" - an economic approach to scale down less necessary forms of production and consumption. While promising, the term itself creates controversy. Hence his effort in clarifying it in this paper.
Full citation:
Hickel, J. (2020). What does degrowth mean? A few points of clarification. Globalizations, 1-7.
What do objects that accompany people in death say about what people did in life?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Hass and colleagues, who performed an archeological discovery that challenges the man-the-hunter hypothesis. During an excavation in South America, they discovered a 9,000-year old burial that suggests that female participation in ancient societies' hunting was likely non-trivial.
Full citation:
Haas, R., Watson, J., Buonasera, T., Southon, J., Chen, J. C., Noe, S., ... & Parker, G. (2020). Female hunters of the early Americas. Science advances, 6(45), eabd0310.
How can bruises help identify abused children?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Pierce and colleagues who developed and validated a bruising clinical decision tool to help identify abused kids earlier. As Dr. Pierce explains in this podcast episode: https://ucdavisem.com/2021/04/17/it-could-have-been-different/, it is the subtle bruises over an eyelid of a fussy baby that should raise red flags. With this tool, physicians are now better equipped to take action when wondering if abuse is part of the story of a child.
Full citation:
Pierce, M. C., Kaczor, K., Lorenz, D. J., Bertocci, G., Fingarson, A. K., Makoroff, K., ... & Leventhal, J. M. (2021). Validation of a clinical decision rule to predict abuse in young children based on bruising characteristics. JAMA network open, 4(4), e215832-e215832.
How do patients shape the stories they tell health practitioners?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Koopman and colleagues who found out how chronic patients develop and enact a strategy for getting airtime during their conversations with health practitioners. And it is not just about writing things down, it also involves actively rehearsing their game plan.
Full citation:
Koopman WJ, LaDonna KA, Kinsella EA, Venance SL, Watling CJ. Getting airtime: Exploring how patients shape the stories they tell health practitioners. Medical Education. 2021 May 12.
Why do some people still remain skeptical about climate change?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Luo and Zhao who explain how some biases can give rise to divergent opinions. Polarization along political parties is a case in point. As your motivations dictate the evidence you look for, data about climate change should be presented differently for liberals or conservatives.
Full citation:
Luo, Y., & Zhao, J. (2019). Motivated attention in climate change perception and action. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 1541.
How is structural distress experienced by resident physicians?
In this paper, I feature a paper by Sukhera, Kulkarni and Taylor who describe structural distress as a distinctive form of moral distress. When it comes to resident physicians, structural distress centers upon the experience of powerlessness leading them to go above and beyond the call of duty, potentially worsening their psychological well-being. When that happens, faculty play a buffering role through role modelling vulnerability and involving residents in policy decisions.
Full citation:
Sukhera, J., Kulkarni, C., & Taylor, T. (2021). Structural distress: experiences of moral distress related to structural stigma during the COVID-19 pandemic. Perspectives on medical education, 1-8.
What explains our tendency to consider solutions that add features rather than solutions that remove them?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Adams and colleagues who bring attention to our tendency to add rather than subtract when thinking about solutions to a situation. It seems as though, subtractive solutions just aren't "top of mind" in most situations. However when dealing with larger societal problems like bureaucracy in organizations and the environmentally unsustainable quest for economic growth, we should reconsider our approach.
Full citation:
Adams, G. S., Converse, B. A., Hales, A. H., & Klotz, L. E. (2021). People systematically overlook subtractive changes. Nature, 592(7853), 258-261.
How can historical trauma impact health in current and future generations?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Conching & Thayer who offer a model to understand this issue. It appears that exposure to trauma can result in changes to the genome that could make sufferers predisposed to chronic disease. On top of that, these effects can also be transmitted to future generations.
Full citation:
Conching, A. K. S., & Thayer, Z. (2019). Biological pathways for historical trauma to affect health: A conceptual model focusing on epigenetic modifications. Social Science & Medicine, 230, 74-82.
Is it possible to assign a dollar value to culture?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Graham and colleagues who explored the relationship between corporate culture and business value. And a key insight they uncovered was the importance of separating cultural values and cultural norms for understanding the connection between culture and performance. Cultural values are the ideals employees strive to fulfill, while cultural norms reflect whether employees “walk the talk” by actually living out those values. When both are aligned, the value of a company increases.
Full citation:
Graham, J. R., Harvey, C. R., Popadak, J., & Rajgopal, S. (2017). Corporate culture: Evidence from the field (No. w23255). National Bureau of Economic Research.
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2805602
What does civic honesty look like around the world?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Cohn and colleagues who examined the trade-off between honesty and self-interest in 355 cities spanning 40 countries. They turned in more than 17,000 lost wallets containing various amounts of money. And they found that contrary to what we might expect, people were more likely to return wallets that contained larger amounts of money. Apparently the shame of viewing oneself as a thief played a role in this behaviour.
Full citation:
Cohn A, Maréchal MA, Tannenbaum D, Zünd CL. Civic honesty around the globe. Science. 2019 Jul 5;365(6448):70-3.
How can poetry help us personalize climate change?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Illingworth who analyzed 72 poems about climate change written by poets from across the world. Apparently these poets are bringing attention to the need to re-position humans at the centre of the debate. If not, we risk dismissing climate change as a phenomenon that is passively happening. However, engaging with poetry might counteract this effect.
Full citation:
Illingworth S. “This bookmark gauges the depths of the human”: how poetry can help to personalise climate change. Geoscience Communication. 2020 Mar 6;3(1):35-47.
How might Covid-19 disrupt treatment for other diseases?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Hogan and colleagues who quantified the extent to which disruptions to services for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria in low and middle-income countries will lead to additional loss of life over the next 5 years. As we continue our efforts to mitigate Covid-19, we should also ensure that HIV, tuberculosis and malaria patients continue to have access to their treatments.
Full citation:
Hogan AB, Jewell BL, Sherrard-Smith E, Vesga JF, Watson OJ, Whittaker C, Hamlet A, Smith JA, Winskill P, Verity R, Baguelin M. Potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria in low-income and middle-income countries: a modelling study. The Lancet Global Health. 2020 Sep 1;8(9):e1132-41.
What can CALMER technology do for babies who are born preterm?
In this episode, I feature the work from a group of researchers at the University of British Columbia who took on a 10-year technological challenge: how to simulate key aspects of maternal skin-to-skin holding for prematurely born babies. And they succeeded. With CALMER technology, moms felt at ease. They perceived CALMER not as a threat but as an ally in maintaining the maternal bond.
Full citation:
Hauser S, Suto MJ, Holsti L, Ranger M, MacLean KE. Designing and evaluating CALMER, a device for simulating maternal skin-to-skin holding for premature infants. In Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems 2020 Apr 21 (pp. 1-15).
Do our conversations with people end when we want them to?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Mastroianni and colleagues who performed a set of very intriguing experiments to better understand what's behind our conversations with other people. As conversations are the bread and butter of social interactions, learning that we are not that good at ending them might put things in perspective.
Full citation:
Mastroianni AM, Gilbert DT, Cooney G, Wilson TD. Do conversations end when people want them to?. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2021 Mar 9;118(10).
How do our fingerprint ridges optimize grip?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Yum and colleagues who demonstrated that optimizing grip requires managing the moisture levels in our finger pads. This is the mechanism through which we are able to perform many of our day-to-day activities like playing sports and even eating.
Full citation:
Yum SM, Baek IK, Hong D, Kim J, Jung K, Kim S, Eom K, Jang J, Kim S, Sattorov M, Lee MG. Fingerprint ridges allow primates to regulate grip. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2020 Dec 15;117(50):31665-73.
What does intellectual candour have to do with learning?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Molloy and Bearman who describe "intellectual candour" as a means to navigate the tension between expressing vulnerability and seeking credibility in professional contexts. In healthcare professions, where teaching and learning happens alongside practice, managing this tension is critical. And intellectual candour might hold the key.
Full citation:
Molloy E, Bearman M. Embracing the tension between vulnerability and credibility:‘intellectual candour’in health professions education. Medical education. 2019 Jan;53(1):32-41
Why impaired wellness may be inevitable in medicine?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Bynum and colleagues who warns us about the risks of rushing solutions without fully understanding the nature of impaired wellness in medicine. They propose a different way of thinking about wellness: one that views wellness as a healthy and authentic engagement with the inevitable adversity of pursuing a career in medicine. Therefore, rather than eliminating impaired wellness, we should view it as a catalyst for developing resilience.
Full citation:
Bynum IV WE, Varpio L, Teunissen P. Why impaired wellness may be inevitable in medicine, and why that may not be a bad thing. Medical Education. 2021 Jan;55(1):16-22.
What can be achieved when building organs-on-chips?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Low and colleagues who offer a thorough overview of a fast evolving technology called Organs-on-Chips. As its name suggests, this is about micro-devices capable of mimicking functional features of organs and tissues. Toxicity assessment of chemotherapy drugs and personalized medicine are some examples of the possibilities that this technology can offer.
Full citation:
Low LA, Mummery C, Berridge BR, Austin CP, Tagle DA. Organs-on-chips: Into the next decade. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. 2020 Sep 10:1-7.
What can we learn from Covid-19 to make progress on climate change?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Klenert and Funke, et., al. who offer a holistic reflection on lessons that can be learned from the Covid-19 pandemic to inform climate change mitigation policy. Creating awareness about these lessons will help us prepare, as citizens, for the long term challenges of climate change.
Full citation:
Klenert D, Funke F, Mattauch L, O’Callaghan B. Five lessons from COVID-19 for advancing climate change mitigation. Environmental and Resource Economics. 2020 Aug;76(4):751-78.
What makes someone misjudge that a person is holding a gun?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Witt and colleagues who describe and test the "gun embodiment effect" - which is the bias to judge another person as holding a gun when wielding a gun oneself. Using a randomized controlled trial, they bring awareness to the very real societal implications of this effect.
Full citation:
Witt JK, Parnes JE, Tenhundfeld NL. Wielding a gun increases judgments of others as holding guns: a randomized controlled trial. Cognitive research: principles and implications. 2020 Dec;5(1):1-7.
What will it take to apply therapeutic genome editing in the real world?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Dr. Jennifer Doudna, the 2020 Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry, who discusses the therapeutic opportunities of genome editing, as well as, the technical and ethical aspects of ensuring that this technology is used responsibly.
Full citation:
Doudna JA. The promise and challenge of therapeutic genome editing. Nature. 2020 Feb;578(7794):229-36.
How do teams coordinate when there is no possibility of having a conversation?
In this episode, I feature a paper by John Paul Stephens who observed and interviewed members of a community choir for 18 months to explore how the choir was able to maintain beautiful and ongoing performance even in moments when they felt falling apart. And it was that feeling what allowed the group to find ways to redirect their attention.
Full citation:
Stephens, J. P. (2020). How the Show Goes on: Using the Aesthetic Experience of Collective Performance to Adapt While Coordinating. Administrative Science Quarterly, 0001839220911056.
What do palliative care volunteers mean for the person who's dying?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Vanderstichelen et. a.l., who explored palliative care volunteer roles across care settings through the perspectives of those closely involved in the care of terminally ill people. And they found that the liminal space that PC volunteers occupy empower them to become the "voice of the dying person". Yet they require emotional support that still needs to be figured out.
Full citation:
Vanderstichelen, S., Cohen, J., Van Wesemael, Y., Deliens, L., & Chambaere, K. (2020). The liminal space palliative care volunteers occupy and their roles within it: a qualitative study. BMJ supportive & palliative care, 10(3), e28-e28.
What can we learn from ants about caring for others?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Frank et., al who uncovered and described the organized and social approach of ants to treat their wounded fellows. One of the keys to their success, as the authors observed, was that most decisions on who to treat or rescue were not made by the helper alone; they were unconsciously regulated by the injured ant.
Full citation:
Frank ET, Wehrhahn M, Linsenmair KE. Wound treatment and selective help in a termite-hunting ant. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 2018 Feb 14; 285(1872):20172457.
How does the organizational culture affect residents in difficulty?
In this episode, I feature the paper by Christensen and colleagues who explored the influence of the culture of medical residency training on residents' risk of ending in difficulty. Rather than asking "what's the problem with the resident?", this papers invites us to also ask "what's in the organizational culture that predisposes residents to mental health breakdowns?".
Full citation:
Christensen MK, Sørensen JK, Jensen RD, Brøndt SG, Norberg K, O'Neill LD, Mortensen LS, Charles P. How to play the game of medical education: Sociocultural analyses of educational difficulties among medical residents. MedEdPublish. 2020 Jun 18;9.
What can be done to enhance training in oncoplastic surgery in developing countries?
In this episode, I continue to feature work by Drs. Brackstone and Mutabi who used lessons learned during the Covid-19 pandemic to create an innovative virtual surgical training on oncoplastic surgery across Kenya. While uptake of this technique is increasing in developed countries, developing countries need help to close the training gap and empower women to fight the stigma that comes with breast cancer.
Visit www.oncoplasticpartnershipworkshop.ca to learn more about this initiative.
What does the future of breast cancer treatment look like?
In this episode, I feature the work from Dr. Muriel Brackstone on promoting and training an innovative surgical technique that allows for treating breast cancer while preserving the appearance of the breast as much as possible. It is called Oncoplastic Surgery and it is a great alternative in the quest to improve quality of life outcomes for breast cancer patients.
For more insights, watch the DocTalks lecture titled: What the future of Breast Cancer Treatment Looks Like
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P0xRdRnzwg
How does the imposter syndrome affect those who are competent?
In this episode, I feature a paper by LaDonna et. al., who debunked the taken for granted assumption that those who do well, know that they do well. According to their findings, it is not that they don't struggle. It is that their struggles remain less visible. And unpacking those struggles might become a much needed educational strategy.
Full citation:
LaDonna KA, Ginsburg S, Watling C. “Rising to the level of your incompetence”: what physicians’ self-assessment of their performance reveals about the imposter syndrome in medicine. Academic Medicine. 2018 May 1;93(5):763-8.
What does swarm intelligence have to do with building self-healing teams?
In this episode, I feature a paper by our research team that takes on a strongly contested argument - that the collective behaviour of social insects, like ants, could provide inspiration to our thinking about effective teamwork. In particular, the idea that teams can recover from disruption by becoming interchangeable, as ants do.
Full citation:
Cristancho SM. On collective self‐healing and traces: How can swarm intelligence help us think differently about team adaptation?. Medical Education. 2021; 55(4): 441:447
What does photosynthesis have to do with cars and airplanes?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Wu and colleagues who describe the principles and development of Artificial Leaf technology that aims to mimic plants to convert greenhouse gases into useful fuel for human use. Achieving this goal will constitute a groundbreaking success in combating climate change.
Full citation:
Wu YA, McNulty I, Liu C, Lau KC, Liu Q, Paulikas AP, Sun CJ, Cai Z, Guest JR, Ren Y, Stamenkovic V. Facet-dependent active sites of a single Cu 2 O particle photocatalyst for CO 2 reduction to methanol. Nature Energy. 2019 Nov;4(11):957-68.
What does talking on the phone have to do with learning?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Eppich and colleagues who uncovered the nuances of telephone talk when it comes to learning in medicine. Their findings revealed how the natural conversational tensions that trainees have to navigate when talking on the phone, also enable them to advocate more effectively for their patients.
Full citation:
Eppich WJ, Dornan T, Rethans JJ, Teunissen PW. “Learning the lingo”: a grounded theory study of telephone talk in clinical education. Academic Medicine. 2019 Jul 1;94(7):1033-9.
How accurate is memory for real-world experiences?
In this episode, I feature the paper by Diamond and colleagues who put to the test memory scientists' estimation of how accurate our memory is. And they demonstrated that while details tend to fade with time, the accuracy of the stories we tell about past events doesn't seem to change, despite what experts have suggested. A fascinated insight to consider as we continue trying to understand the role of memory in aging.
Full citation:
Diamond NB, Armson MJ, Levine B. The truth is out there: Accuracy in recall of verifiable real-world events. Psychological Science. 2020 Dec;31(12):1544-56.
What do 9 years of research tell us about people's journeys through medical school?
In this episode I feature the paper by Balmer and colleagues who conducted a 9-year longitudinal study to track the journeys of medical trainees as they navigated their training. Stories of stability and change were prominent in these students' reflections.
Full citation:
Balmer DF, Teunissen PW, Devlin MJ, Richards BF. Stability and Change in the Journeys of Medical Trainees: A 9-Year, Longitudinal Qualitative Study. Academic Medicine. 2021 Jan 25.
What do our mobility patterns mean for society?
In this episode, I feature the paper by Alessandretti and Lehmann who used GPS location data from 700,000 people to describe the concept of "scale" in human mobility. They explain how these "scales" - from individual buildings to neighbourhoods, cities, regions and countries - are central to understanding societal issues such as socioeconomic interactions, or political and cultural dynamics. Furthermore, they show how our patterns of mobility can also be distinguished from our gender or whether we live in an urban or rural area.
Full citation:
Alessandretti L, Aslak U, Lehmann S. The scales of human mobility. Nature. 2020 Nov;587(7834):402-7.
What is left to do when treating chronic pain that is compounded with poverty?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Fiona Webster and colleagues who bring attention to the challenges that healthcare providers face in helping patients with chronic pain who struggle with poverty, mental health and addiction. As the authors suggest, it is necessary to situate the problem as a public health issue rather than casting it as a strictly medical crisis.
Full citation:
Webster F, Rice K, Katz J, Bhattacharyya O, Dale C, Upshur R. An ethnography of chronic pain management in primary care: The social organization of physicians’ work in the midst of the opioid crisis. PloS one. 2019 May 1;14(5):e0215148.
What's the role of stories in combating anti-vaccine misinformation?
In this episode I feature a paper by Shelby & Ernst, two moms who used the power of experience to illustrate how stories and science together can make a real difference. As the full roll out of the Covid-19 vaccine is currently taking place, their message is worth remembering.
Full citation:
Shelby A, Ernst K. Story and science: how providers and parents can utilize storytelling to combat anti-vaccine misinformation. Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics. 2013 Aug 8;9(8):1795-801.
To what extent are ethical objectives embedded in the development of Artificial Intelligence?
In this episode I feature a paper by Hagendorff who brings attention to the issues around self-governance in the Artificial Intelligence industry and its relationship to ethical guidelines. By comparing across guidelines, this paper reveals where ethically motivated efforts are taking place, and where they are not yet.
Full citation:
Hagendorff, T. (2020). The ethics of AI ethics: An evaluation of guidelines. Minds and Machines, 30(1), 99-120.
Could meteorite impacts be the cradle of life?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Osinski and colleagues who bring attention to the potentially beneficial role of meteorite impacts in understanding the origin of life on Earth and whether life exists elsewhere. As they describe, it is becoming apparent that such impacts could have created hot springs which might play a role in the development of habitable conditions on planets.
Full citation:
Osinski, G. R., Cockell, C. S., Pontefract, A., & Sapers, H. M. (2020). The Role of Meteorite Impacts in the Origin of Life. Astrobiology, 20(9), 1121-1149.
What is the purpose of hospital admissions?
In this episode I feature the paper by Baranova and colleagues who bring attention to the issue of how different physicians think differently about the purpose of hospital admissions. And from there, to the need of fostering explicit bi-directional dialogue among physicians and patients to expose and address particular assumptions.
Full citation:
Baranova, K., Torti, J., & Goldszmidt, M. (2019). Explicit Dialogue About the Purpose of Hospital Admission Is Essential: How Different Perspectives Affect Teamwork, Trust, and Patient Care. Academic Medicine, 94(12), 1922-1930.
How do scientists choose what they do research on?
In this episode, I feature a paper by Regehr who offers an insightful metaphor to help scientists think about their research interests in the form of islands and archipelagos.
Full citation:
Regehr, G. (2020). Islands and archipelagos: Reconciling programmatic vs. opportunistic research in health professions education. Perspectives on Medical Education, 9(6), 367-369.
What does it feel like to be a patient storyteller?
In this episode, I feature the paper by Taylor Roebotham and colleagues who describe patient storytelling as an educational strategy in healthcare and discuss its emotional impact on the patients themselves.
Full citation:
Roebotham, T., Hawthornthwaite, L., Lee, L., & Lingard, L. A. (2018). Beyond catharsis: the nuanced emotion of patient storytellers in an educational role. Medical education, 52(5), 526-535.
Could you please give me back my fact?
In this episode, I feature Professor Trisha Greenhalgh's insights during The Campaign for Social Science Annual SAGE Lecture 2020. In this lecture, she addressed the question of "how can social science help us survive a post-truth pandemic?"
The full lecture can be found at: https://campaignforsocialscience.org.uk/news/professor-trish-greenhalgh-delivers-the-campaigns-sage-lecture-2020/
What does the 3 Wishes Project do?
In this episode, I feature a series of papers that describe and evaluate the impact of the 3 Wishes Project, developed by Dr. Deborah Cook from McMaster University. This project is an initiative that aims to honour the life and legacy of dying patients in intensive care units.
Full citations:
Vanstone M, Neville TH, Swinton ME, Sadik M, Clarke FJ, LeBlanc A, Tam B, Takaoka A, Hoad N, Hancock J, McMullen S. Expanding the 3 Wishes Project for compassionate end-of-life care: a qualitative evaluation of local adaptations. BMC palliative care. 2020 Dec;19(1):1-9.
Vanstone M, Sadik M, Smith O, Neville TH, LeBlanc A, Boyle A, Clarke FJ, Swinton ME, Takaoka A, Toledo F, Baker AJ. Building organizational compassion among teams delivering end-of-life care in the intensive care unit: The 3 Wishes Project. Palliative Medicine. 2020 Jun 10:0269216320929538.
Vanstone M, Neville TH, Clarke FJ, Swinton M, Sadik M, Takaoka A, Smith O, Baker AJ, LeBlanc A, Foster D, Dhingra V. Compassionate end-of-life care: mixed-methods multisite evaluation of the 3 wishes project. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2020 Jan 7;172(1):1-1.
What does it mean to allow trainee failure in healthcare?
In this episode, I feature the paper by Jennifer Klasen and colleagues who discuss the delicate balance that exists between allowing failure for learning in healthcare and patient safety.
Full citation: Klasen JM, Driessen E, Teunissen PW, Lingard LA. ‘Whatever you cut, I can fix it’: clinical supervisors’ interview accounts of allowing trainee failure while guarding patient safety. BMJ quality & safety. 2020 Sep 1;29(9):727-34.
This is the inaugural episode of Research in 90sec. Starting in January 2021, episodes will be released every week. Hope you will enjoy!