85% podcast—Episode 1
Oh, nothing unusual—just a robot talking to itself about AWARE.
It’s been over 2 months since the launch of researchwaste.info, and I have been fortunate to receive tons of very helpful feedback, for which I am very thankful.
While I am revising the proposal, the first episode of my 85% podcast is a sneak peek of what’s to come. This robotic podcast has been generated with NotebookLM from the application package I am currently drafting to apply for Canadian Institutes of Health Research funding. Wish me luck!
Below you will find a transcript of this episode (AI-generated of course! Again, thanks to Google):
Host: We put so much trust really into health research, right? New treatments, therapies, cures, it all comes back to research. But, um, what if I told you that a huge amount of this research might be totally wasted?
Guest: Yeah, unfortunately, that’s true. There are studies that suggest that up to 85%, can you believe that? 85% of health research is basically useless. We’re talking billions of dollars, countless hours, all for very little gain.
Host: Okay, hold on. Let’s break that down. Billions of dollars wasted. That’s insane! But what do we actually mean by “wasted” research? It’s not always about bad research or fraudulent studies, is it?
Guest: No, you’re right. Outright fraud is a problem, don’t get me wrong, but a lot of this waste comes from less obvious but just as important issues. Things like studies that are poorly designed or ones that just repeat what we already know, or even research that’s asking questions nobody’s asking.
Host: So, it’s like what? Building this high-tech bridge, but forgetting to check if anyone even needs to cross the river?
Guest: Exactly. And the thing is this isn’t just some abstract academic problem. This impacts everyone. You, me, everyone we know. Think about it. Breakthroughs in treating diseases, maybe even finding cures. Those are being stalled because of this bottleneck of wasted research, and it also means that some of the treatments we rely on right now, might not even be as good as they could be, you know?
Host: It’s kind of scary when you put it like that. Those delays in medical advancements all because of research that leads to dead ends. It makes you think. What really got me about Pavel’s story was how he was driven to find a solution after seeing firsthand the human cost of all this wasted research. You can really feel that passion, that drive to make a difference. So, he saw that need for a solution and he decided to do something about it. Really impressive. So how is he planning to actually tackle this huge problem of wasted research?
Guest: Well, his idea is to create this tool he calls it “AWARE”, which stands for Avoidably Wasted Research. And he…
Host: And he…
Guest: Yeah, and the idea is that AWARE would basically be like an early warning system. You know, it would help researchers catch those red flags for potential waste, really early in the process.
Host: I like that. Early detection is key for sure. But okay, paint me a picture here. How would this thing actually work in the real world?
Guest: So, imagine this. You’re designing a research study, right? And you’re using some kind of outdated measurement tool. Maybe you don’t even realize it’s outdated. But AWARE, AWARE would flag that right away, potentially saving the entire project from going down a rabbit hole later on.
Host: That makes a lot of sense. I mean, catching those kinds of things early on could be a game changer.
Guest: Exactly. And while we don’t know every single detail about how AWARE will work just yet, what we do know from Pavel’s fellowship application is that he’s super serious about this. He’s taking a very collaborative and rigorous approach to developing it.
Host: Collaboration and rigor, those are definitely two words you want to hear when it comes to something with this kind of potential impact.
Guest: Absolutely. And to make sure this isn’t just some theoretical exercise, he’s teamed up with the SPOR Evidence Alliance.
Host: Okay. I’ve heard of them, but remind me what they’re all about.
Guest: Right. So, the SPOR Evidence Alliance is this really impressive network: Over 400 people, all involved in health research in some way. And we’re not just talking researchers here, we’re talking patients, policy-makers, the whole shebang.
Host: Oh wow, so they’re really getting those diverse perspectives right from the get-go.
Guest: Exactly! And that’s huge, right? Because to really create a tool that’s going to be used and actually make a difference, it can’t just be researchers in a bubble. They need those voices from patients, from policy-makers, from the people who are actually going to be impacted by this research.
Host: That makes so much sense. So, how is Pavel making sure that AWARE can stand up to real-world scrutiny? How do we know it’s actually going to work?
Guest: He’s got this really comprehensive, like, three-pronged approach planned. A scoping review, interviews with stakeholders and then actually testing it out on real-world research reports.
Host: Okay. I’m going to need you to break that down for me. What does all of that actually involve?
Guest: Sure. So, the scoping review, that’s basically like a superpowered literature review. It’s about mapping out absolutely everything that’s already known about a particular topic, which in this case is, you guessed it, research waste.
Host: Right.
Guest: Then, he’s going to be interviewing members of this SPOR Evidence Alliance, picking their brains. You know, getting their insights on research waste. How they see AWARE fitting in? All of that.
Host: That’s smart. Getting those firsthand perspectives.
Guest: Totally! And then, here’s a really cool part. He’s actually going to test AWARE out on this collection of real-world research reports that the Alliance has already produced. We’re talking over 280 reports, so it’s not just theory. He’s really putting this thing through its paces.
Host: Right. Wow, talk about putting it through the ringer. But how can we be sure that AWARE doesn’t end up as just another research paper, you know, sitting on a shelf somewhere, gathering dust. How will he make sure that it actually leads to real changes in how research is done?
Guest: That’s where this thing called the “Knowledge-to-Action Cycle” comes in. Have you heard of that?
Host: It rings a bell, but refresh my memory.
Guest: Yeah. So, it’s this framework actually developed by CIHR themselves, and it basically emphasizes that it’s not enough to just create new knowledge, right? You have to make sure that knowledge is actually usable and useful in the real world.
Host: Yeah.
Guest: And Pavel has built this framework into AWARE from the very beginning.
Host: That’s really interesting. So he’s using CIHR’s own framework to potentially revolutionize how CIHR-funded research is conducted. Very meta. And speaking of making things usable, I love that he’s developing both an online version and a paper-based version of AWARE. And in multiple languages, too. It really shows that he’s committed to making this tool accessible to as many people as possible.
Guest: I agree. That’s a really important point because what good is an amazing tool if nobody can use it, right? That commitment to accessibility is going to be crucial if we’re serious about tackling this global problem of wasted research.
Host: It sounds like Pavel really understands that for something like AWARE to be successful, it needs to be embraced by a diverse international community of researchers. That’s thinking ahead! It’s pretty amazing to think about AWARE being used by researchers all over the world, potentially. But let’s zoom out for a sec. Get the bigger picture here. Where does this project fit in with all the talk about making research better, more accountable, you know?
Guest: Oh, that’s a great question. You see, Pavel’s work is part of this, like, growing movement. People pushing for more transparency and accountability in research. You ever heard of Retraction Watch?
Host: Yeah, for sure! They do some really important work, exposing those flawed studies after they’ve already been published.
Guest: Exactly! And what’s really interesting here is that Pavel’s work with AWARE, it’s like, what if we could prevent that waste in the first place? It’s kind of like preventative medicine, but for the research world.
Host: Preventative research, I like that. So much better to catch these issues early on, right? Assuming AWARE actually works the way it’s supposed to, what’s the long game here? What’s Pavel’s vision for the future?
Guest: Well, this fellowship he’s gotten now, it’s really just the first step.
Host: Yeah.
Guest: You see, he’s already thinking ahead, trying to secure funding to really scale up AWARE. Take it beyond this initial pilot phases. His ultimate goal, imagine a world where every single research study, every grant proposal, all gets assessed for potential waste using AWARE. That’s the dream.
Host: That’s a pretty ambitious goal, I got to say. And if it works, I mean, think of the impact! Researchers could use funding way more effectively, breakthroughs could happen faster and ultimately…
Guest: Exactly! It all comes down to better health for everyone. And that’s what makes Pavel’s work so inspiring, you know. It’s not just about numbers and data, it’s about actually improving, maybe even saving, lives.
Host: He seems like he’s really passionate about making research more accessible, more impactful. And it’s not just with AWARE, right?
Guest: Oh, absolutely not! This guy’s got a lot going on. Yeah! He also created this online portal, it’s all about making research findings easier for everyday folks to understand. And on top of that, he’s always on social media advocating for evidence-based practice. You know, getting the word out. It’s pretty impressive!
Host: It really is! It makes you think, what if, because of people like Pavel and tools like AWARE, we could take even a small chunk of those billions of dollars being wasted on bad research and use it to solve some of the world’s biggest health problems? Imagine the progress we could make! It’s exciting to think about, right?
Guest: Absolutely! It just goes to show how important this all is! And, you know, research, it never stops evolving. It’s an ongoing process, and tools like AWARE, they’re crucial for making sure that research is done right, responsibly. So that, ultimately, everyone benefits. Something to keep in mind.
Host: Absolutely. Great point to end on. Well, thanks so much for breaking all of that down for us today. It’s been a fascinating deep dive.
Guest: My pleasure. Always happy to be here.