The human side of clinical development and re-inspiring curiosity in science with Leah Elson
About Leah Elson
Leah Elson is an academically-published clinical development scientist, public science communicator, and non-fiction author. Her research career in human medicine has included the fields of orthopedics, oncology, and neuroscience.
- Twitter: @gnarlybygnature
- Instagram: @gnarlybygnature
- TikTok: @gnarlybygnature
Listen to the Podcast
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox, Deezer, Goodpods, Overcast, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, TuneIn, Blubrry, Digital Podcast, Gaana, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Podhero, PlayerFM, JioSaavn, RSS, and other podcast platforms.
Watch on YouTube
Show Notes
(00:01:06) Sportscasting in college.
(00:02:24) Adventures in pre-med.
(00:03:01) Leah’s early interest in surgery, but realising she could do more upstream.
(00:04:43) Research is playing the long game.
(00:05:44) Leah’s current work with peripheral nerve repair and its compassionate applications.
(00:08:43) Taking a more holistic view of patient outcomes.
(00:10:28) Allowing researchers to actually see the impact of their work.
(00:11:18) STEMM can be a social equaliser because you’re working towards the same goal of humanity.
(00:12:30) How Leah determines the direction of her research focus.
(00:14:59) The beauty of research rabbitholes. The best discoveries are accidental.
(00:15:51) The importance of maintaining connections and networks. You never know where you’ll find convergence across fields.
(00:18:15) Hyperspecialisation and the globaliser that was COVID.
(00:20:45) The future is in unpacking genetics.
(00:24:58) The science that divides advances us.
(00:26:01) The impact of market (and climate) forces and the reminder that humans are creative and resilient.
(00:29:27) ‘60 Seconds of Science’ and the importance of supporting the voices that inform.
(00:32:35) Science doesn’t have an alignment, it’s what we do with it.
(00:35:01) Science is fluid and has so much scope.
(00:36:43) Fake science and the narrative around it is evocative.
(00:38:13) Science fiction into science fact.
(00:39:05) Writing ‘There Are (No) Stupid Questions … in Science’.
(00:42:05) Making people excited about science again.
(00:45:39) The accessible nature of a book like this.
(00:47:10) Being selective about what community questions to answer.
(00:48:11) Randall Munroe (xkcd).
(00:49:35) Bonus Question 1: What hobby or interest do you have that is most unrelated to your field of work?
(00:50:18) Powerlifting is complementary to Leah’s optimal workflow.
(00:51:35) Bonus Question 2: Which childhood book holds the strongest memories for you?
(00:52:51) Michele’s favourite childhood book.
(00:54:10) ‘Where’s Waldo?’
(00:55:18) Bonus Question 3: What advice you would give someone who wants to do what you do? Or what advice should they ignore?
(00:58:54) Finding out more about Leah and their work.
Highlights
Additional Resources
Connect with Us
- @steampoweredshow
- @steampoweredshow
- @steampoweredshw
- @steampoweredshow
- @steampoweredshow
- @steampoweredshow
- steampoweredshow
Support STEAM Powered
Review Us
Please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, GoodPods, Podchaser, or your preferred podcatcher.
Become a Patron
Affiliate Programs
Start your own podcast or YouTube channel, or run panels and seminars with Riverside.fm. Record up to 8 people in a session with up to 1000 audience members. You can record in advance as I do, or you can livestream with the option to send it straight to Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, or Twitch. There's even a green-room for guests and live call in for audience members. Afterwards, get separate video (up to 4K) and audio (up to 48kHz) tracks per recorded participant for editing, none of that “active speaker only” limitation. You know you're in good hands with a service whose client-base includes some heavy-hitters. Check out Riverside.fm to see who else is on board. Use promo code STEAM25 to get 25% off the first three months of your subscription.
