For Yet Better Science

Tu Youyou turned to Chinese medical texts from the Zhou, Qing, and Han Dynasties to find a traditional cure for malaria, ultimately extracting a compound – artemisinin – that has saved millions of lives. When she isolated the ingredient she believed would work, she volunteered to be the first human subject. She is the first mainland Chinese scientist to have received a Nobel Prize in a scientific category, and she did so without a doctorate, a medical degree, or training abroad.

To understand disease, scientists are producing comprehensive  omics  datasets. However, the majority of these are Eurocentric. Recently, the inclusion of patients from Asia and the Middle East in genomic analyses uncovered unique loci linked to COVID-19 severity. This demonstrates that focusing on diversity and underrepresented populations can benefit all.

The COVID-19 years have been banner years for science. Never before in recent memory has science broadly, and population health science specifically, been more in the forefront of public conversations. Scientists previously working in academic cloisters rocketed to rock star status, and what scientists might say became a guiding principle for much of what was discussed, written about and acted on in the policy sphere. And science has had some resounding success in guiding our response to COVID-19.  And yet, despite this elevated visibility of and respect for the science, COVID-19 has been a global tragedy.  We should learn the lessons of the current pandemic to make science a better partner to decision-makers in future crises.

Effective partnering is essential for success in science mergers, acquisitions, alliances, and between departments, but partnering results often fall short. Managing partnering as if it were a project and better partnering meetings significantly improve partnering results.  Find Out How to Ensure Success After the Deal Is Made.

The "New Statistics" emphasizes effect sizes, confidence intervals, meta-analysis, and the use of Open Science practices. We present 3 specific ways in which a New Statistics approach can help improve scientific practice: by reducing over-confidence in small samples, by reducing confirmation bias, and by fostering more cautious judgments of consistency. We illustrate these points through consideration of the literature on oxytocin and human trust, a research area that typifies some of the endemic problems that arise with poor statistical practice.

The National Tripartite Event Poland took place in Krakow, and online, from October 24 th   to October 26 th   under the context of the EOSC Festival and main theme "Open Science for Better Science".   The event was organised by the National Science Centre (NCN), the Polish mandated organisation in the EOSC Association and a coordinator of the EOSC Poland network. Zbigniew Błocki, Director of NCN, and Mateusz Gaczyński, the Deputy Director at the Department for Innovation and Development in the Ministry of Education and Science, introduced the goals of the event, enhancing the importance of the dialogue between key EOSC stakeholders.

When it comes to health care — and the research that informs it — it's time to include everyone. Precise, effective medicine focuses on each individual’s biology, psychology, and medical history. This means understanding our unique needs to develop more inclusive treatments. Women’s Health Research at Yale incorporates the study of women and the influence of sex and gender in science and medicine. We bring together Yale faculty from diverse fields. We respond to health questions women face and discover sex/gender differences that benefit all. We train the next generation of researchers and clinicians committed to improving the health of women. And we collaborate in advancing health policy. Learn more about how we're shaping the future of research.