In the short term, science in some countries looks like it’s in a perilous state. But if you take the long view, it feels more like a correction. Science doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it has always been shaped by powerful industries and wealthy interests. Some fields—like my own work on toxic chemicals and pollutants—have been minimized or sidelined for decades, often by other scientists. We invested heavily in vaccines and high-tech medicine—much of it life-saving and profitable—but we never built the basic safeguards needed to protect people from lead, plastics, PFAS, and other toxic chemicals. That failure has consequences. Many people now see the imbalance, feel unprotected, and have grown distrustful of the system that was supposed to keep them safe. If we want science to regain its stature, we have to be honest about how it has been steered and how public health has too often taken a back seat to profit. Science hasn’t failed, but the way we’ve organized and funded it has. What if we re-imagined it to serve the public first?
Kristen Panthagani MD PhD strikes me as an amazing young pioneer...wise beyond her years. Her colleague Dr. Jeremy Faust MD has interviewed her on serval occasions.
Given the interactions I viewrd during those chats once again she strikes me as an excellent clinical practitioner & certainly a high-level thinker yet very mindful of her audience be that of one on one or her internet followers.
I don't know the author (someone within the Travel Medicine community, possibly UK)...
"People don't care about what you are saying unless you care about what you are saying"
There is a very large number of gifted contributers to various Substacks, including yourself and thank you for caring about people having a better understanding of the communities we occupy.
The Royal Society has had a big programme on Science 2040 and one of the intermediate projects is to update the 1985 'Bodmer report' on understanding public science (due in the spring):
In my years of public speaking, I’ve seen the same pattern over and over: scientists rely on heavy technical jargon, and we’re often terrible at translating peer-reviewed research into something the public can actually understand. Add the expensive journal paywalls on top of that, and it’s no wonder people feel shut out of science.
We have to change this. Clear, human communication isn’t optional anymore — it’s part of the job. It’s exactly why I’m here on this platform: to help break down the walls and make science something the public can access, learn from, and actually use.
In the short term, science in some countries looks like it’s in a perilous state. But if you take the long view, it feels more like a correction. Science doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it has always been shaped by powerful industries and wealthy interests. Some fields—like my own work on toxic chemicals and pollutants—have been minimized or sidelined for decades, often by other scientists. We invested heavily in vaccines and high-tech medicine—much of it life-saving and profitable—but we never built the basic safeguards needed to protect people from lead, plastics, PFAS, and other toxic chemicals. That failure has consequences. Many people now see the imbalance, feel unprotected, and have grown distrustful of the system that was supposed to keep them safe. If we want science to regain its stature, we have to be honest about how it has been steered and how public health has too often taken a back seat to profit. Science hasn’t failed, but the way we’ve organized and funded it has. What if we re-imagined it to serve the public first?
Kristen Panthagani MD PhD strikes me as an amazing young pioneer...wise beyond her years. Her colleague Dr. Jeremy Faust MD has interviewed her on serval occasions.
Given the interactions I viewrd during those chats once again she strikes me as an excellent clinical practitioner & certainly a high-level thinker yet very mindful of her audience be that of one on one or her internet followers.
I don't know the author (someone within the Travel Medicine community, possibly UK)...
"People don't care about what you are saying unless you care about what you are saying"
There is a very large number of gifted contributers to various Substacks, including yourself and thank you for caring about people having a better understanding of the communities we occupy.
Warm regards, JJF Phm 🇨🇦
Adam, thank you! Reading those comments in your posts are very encouraging; but we need to organize, and we will need funding.
The Royal Society has had a big programme on Science 2040 and one of the intermediate projects is to update the 1985 'Bodmer report' on understanding public science (due in the spring):
https://royalsociety.org/news-resources/projects/science-for-society/
This is so relevant — thank you for writing it.
In my years of public speaking, I’ve seen the same pattern over and over: scientists rely on heavy technical jargon, and we’re often terrible at translating peer-reviewed research into something the public can actually understand. Add the expensive journal paywalls on top of that, and it’s no wonder people feel shut out of science.
We have to change this. Clear, human communication isn’t optional anymore — it’s part of the job. It’s exactly why I’m here on this platform: to help break down the walls and make science something the public can access, learn from, and actually use.