Interlude: Transformation, Terminated Grants, and Risks to PubMed
I recently read an investigator's termination letter from the NIH. It broke my heart, not only for the research team but also for the study participants. It's devastating...and just beginning.
Last week, I mentioned that I'm giving a lot of thought to how I can help in the current funding climate. I want to help the principal investigators (PIs) who have had their grants terminated. So, I'm starting a little program to help them strengthen their odds of receiving a new award from the NIH or other organization.
I am sponsoring 20 PIs who have had their federal grants terminated to join our Scientific Writing Simplified course and the Redwood Ink Academy at no charge (no payment information required). I hope to expand this program to more PIs, and even co-investigators and other research team members, as our resources and capacity allow.
You can find more information and the application on our website.
I know that this program doesn’t change what’s happening or have a hugely broad impact. But it’s at least a small contribution that I can make to help in this situation. I know that every contribution, no matter the size, can help.
Now onto this week's round-up...
💌 Round-up
💻 From My Desk
Passive Voice Primer
I'm excited to share that my Passive Voice Primer course is now available for free! This course will guide you in overcoming one of the biggest challenges in scientific and medical writing—the simple way.
👓 Reading
Writing as Transformation
"Writing became almost immediately the form of communication that seemed to me most true and least fraught. Important conversations are routinely remembered differently. Of speech, an impression remains, which memory amplifies and distorts. No two people hearing the same remarks are likely to have identical memories of what was said. Certainly, the exact words will not be remembered. Whereas the written word can be remembered only exactly; if a written line is not repeated exactly, word for word, it is not being remembered, it is being paraphrased. The existing text will confirm this. In that text, words do not mutate or switch places. Meaning can be disputed, but the actual words survive argument and mutilation."
Generative AI exists because of the transformer
Do you wonder how Large Language Models (LLMs) work? This interactive and beautifully crafted guide shows what's really happening behind the scenes.
🎧 Listening
PubMed Uncertainty: Smart Alternatives for CME Professionals
Many of us depend on PubMed for evidence-based research. But with looming funding changes, this go-to resource is at risk. In this episode of Write Medicine, Alex Howson shares what’s happening with PubMed and why it matters, alternative tools for researching the medical literature, and actionable strategies to future-proof your literature search and avoid research roadblocks.
💬 Quote
"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." – Helen Keller
Thank you so much for reading.
Warmly,
Crystal
