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Friday's Digest - The Newsletter for Doctors & Scientists
Friday's Digest - The Newsletter for Doctors & Scientists
For two decades, I've been developing tools that have improved my practice in medicine, dentistry, and scientific research.
Join me every Friday to discover a new tool you can integrate into your workflow as a doctor, a scientist, or both.
I believe in sharing knowledge, embracing automation, boosting productivity, and finding joy in the process.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Life Update
Tools and Tips
Readers’ Favorite
Stuff
Life Update
Life Update
If there's one thing I regret in my life right now, it's not running.
I've always been able to accomplish what I set my mind to.
But somehow I can't find time to run 🏃🏼.
I simply do too many things.
This has got to change.
This has got to change.
What's the plan?
After trying almost every time management tool out there, I have no choice.
I will have to sleep less.
I will have to sleep less.
40–50 minutes less, to be exact.
I simply don't see another way.
Some of you will get mad ("Are you seriously considering sleeping less? Don't you know how bad it is for your health?!")
Maybe. And maybe not.
I'll keep you posted.
This week, we’ll discuss a hot topic that affects our lives as doctors and scientists:
The number of publications you have.
No matter what stage you're in, this number immensely affects your career.
Let’s dive in!
Number 144
Tools and Tips
Tools and Tips
Haruko Obokata
Haruko Obokata
Have you heard about her?
She's a Japanese scientist who, at age 31, received enormous worldwide attention.
Her research focused on stem cells. Cells with the potential to transform into any cell type in the body.
This breakthrough could have led to the treatment of many diseases and the solving of countless medical conditions.
Her research was published in Nature.
Her research was published in Nature.
As scientists, we trust that research published in Nature has been thoroughly checked and verified.
Obokata's research cleared all hurdles and made it into Nature.
The scientific community celebrated.
The scientific community celebrated.
A prestigious lab publishing in the world's most influential scientific journal— who would question it?
But when other scientists tried to replicate her results, problems emerged.
Her figures showed signs of manipulation (specifically, she had altered images of her gels).
When asked to reproduce her own results, she tried but couldn't do it.
Eventually, her papers were retracted— a scientist's worst nightmare.
She resigned.
Her supervisor committed suicide.
That’s intense.
An extreme example.
But this case highlights the pressure within the scientific and medical communities.
The pressure we all experience as doctors and scientists.
I want to touch on 3 points.
Three things that affect our lives.
Three issues anyone entering this world should be aware of.
🔵 “How Many Articles Have You Published?”
🔵 “How Many Articles Have You Published?”
You're going to hear this question a lot.
Like it or not, you need to make it a priority.
A high number of publications doesn't necessarily mean the research is of high quality.
But high-quality research usually leads to a high number.
So this number has become the primary factor on your CV.
Sometimes, it's the ONLY factor considered.
Sometimes, it's the ONLY factor considered.
For physician-scientists, this creates a significant challenge. We don’t have much time to work on this number.
But you MUST focus on building your publication count.
Two papers are better than one.
Very frustrating.
But at least for now, this is how it goes.
🔵 Predatory Journals
🔵 Predatory Journals
Obokata's story reminds me of today's predatory journals.
Predatory journals are those that take advantage of our need to publish. They charge substantial fees and employ minimal peer review.
The scientific community hasn't addressed this issue.
As a result, we face expensive publishing fees and an overwhelming flood of literature.
There are simply too many articles out there.
My advice: you can't be too selective early in your career— you need to publish.
However, once you gain influence, you should work to improve the system.
Otherwise, we'll see more cases like Obokata's.
🔵 The Marriage Between Hospitals and Universities
🔵 The Marriage Between Hospitals and Universities
An academic appointment (assistant professor, associate professor, and so on) requires university affiliation.
For doctors, your promotion depends on a scientific committee composed of researchers.
They'll evaluate you based on your publication count and grant funding.
Your clinical experience carries little weight in this process. If at all.
This affects physician-scientists and surgeon-scientists.
Our work involves translating basic science into clinical trials—bringing new treatments from the lab to patients.
This demands tremendous time and effort.
Neither of which can be fully captured on a CV.
Until we develop a system better suited for physician-scientists, remember: you need to impress the committee with numbers.
Readers’ Favorite
Readers’ Favorite
“Slow Productivity” is a nice concept. Do less and achieve more. But for doctors and scientists, it doesn’t work this way.
Here I wrote what I think about “Slow Productivity”.
Stuff
Stuff
👣 Shoes I wear in the OR - Dansko.
My sister was the first to introduce me to these shoes, and I've been using them for the last 15 years.
Their main advantage for me is not feeling fatigued in the legs and feet or having any back pain in the OR.
If you intend to walk long distances, other shoes will be more comfortable than the Dansko.
Epilogue
Epilogue
That’s it for this issue.
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See you next week!
Shay
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