As I have previously discussed, although the idea of translational research did not start to emerge as such until the 1980s, it had roots in the idea of “diffusion of […]
Columnists
Liz Wager: How should journals and universities liaise over problematic publications?
Here’s a CLUE … Journals have a responsibility not to mislead their readers. That seems pretty straightforward and uncontroversial, but achieving this lofty aim can be tricky. In order to […]
Daniel Sokol: Should doctors be saints?
Lavinia Woodward, 24, is a medical student at Oxford University. She is an aspiring heart surgeon with an excellent academic record. On 30 September 2016, under the influence of drink and […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Diffusion
Diffusion and dissemination are important aspects of translational research. They are the processes whereby the products of such research—knowledge, skills, understanding, innovations—spread, encouraging implementation. Diffusion is a passive process, like […]
Abraar Karan: What we say to our patients matters, but how we say it matters more
The way we frame benefit and risk to our patients can have a huge impact on their health and lifestyle choices, argues Abraar Karan […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Knowledge translation
You would think that the word “knowledge” comes from the word “know”, but it isn’t as simple as that. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) only says “probably”. The problem is […]
Neville Goodman’s metaphor watch: Just in time
Last ditch, last minute, eleventh hour: all expressions allowing a relieved sigh. There are no single, non-metaphorical words to replace them. Ultimate, late and final appear in lists of synonyms, […]
Nick Hopkinson: Conservatism and the cancer drugs fund
Decisions about healthcare inevitably involve choices around the allocation of finite resources. Democracy, if it is meaningful, is public reasoning. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), established […]
Richard Smith: Will I make it to 2045 and become immortal?
The Singularity, when men merge with machines and become immortal, is “pencilled in” for 2045. I learn this from Irish journalist Mark O’Connell’s meetings with transhumanists described in his book […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Knowledge
As I discussed last week, new knowledge, not in itself research, is an important outcome of research and, through diffusion and dissemination, a tool for further research. GN, meaning to […]