It's not that simple

I recently published a peer reviewed scientific article about knee pain.

The article is about research conducted over three years as part of my PhD. The research team consisted of three professors, expert clinicians, and a professional artist.

It includes a summary of relevant scientific literature, a comprehensive explanation of the research methodology which is innovative and novel to the field of pain research, a complex statistical analysis, and a detailed discussion of the findings in the context of other literature and directions for future research.

The research findings were evaluated through peer review, and over the course of about a year, the text was checked and double-checked to ensure every detail was accurate and robust.

The article was published, and the university decided it warranted a media release to share the findings with the public.

The media release was drafted over the course of several weeks through consultation with an expert in public science communication and our research team. It was checked for readability and accuracy so that it provided meaningful information to all readers.

Upon the publication of the media release, the story was picked up by several science blogs, and I was invited to speak on several radio shows.

During my PhD, I undertook training from a science communication expert, focusing on translating the scientific jargon so that research can have practical relevance to people's everyday lives. This means breaking down complexity to just one or two key concepts so they are relatable and easy to understand quickly.

My last interview of the day was just a few minutes long. I carefully phrased my response to convey one key concept from the research so that the average listener on their lunch break could take away something useful from the story.

"People with knee pain have complex beliefs that physical activity may be dangerous, even when they say it is safe".

In the moments following my interview someone called in to comment.

“It’s not that simple”, they said.

They're right.

#sciencecommunication #PhD #research