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Season 03 Episode 06: Reading Rights: America's Literacy Challenge with Jenny Mackenzie

Over the past year, the Ideas to Innovation podcast from Clarivate took listeners on a special journey through a world where curiosity meets ingenuity. In each of 15 episodes published in 2023, we told stories of people thinking forward in the real world, highlighting those who not only dared to dream but also transformed their dreams into reality. Our conversations with experts weren’t just talks; they were narratives of change, powerful examples of how fresh insights are solving some of the world’s most complex challenges.   For this “Best of 2023” episode, we showcase three compelling stories, each of which serves a testament to the spirit of innovation. You’ll first hear from an associate professor who is known as a ‘scientific sleuth’ for his uncanny ability to identify falsified data in published academic research. Next, two guests share their stories about a rare hereditary disease, its devastating impacts and the role and work of scientific research in finding answers. In our final segment, an accomplished scientist, engineer, and innovator with 77 patents to her name talks about her work in breaking down complex problems, her most surprising discovery, and finding solutions that stick. We hope you enjoy this recap and continue joining us as we traverse a landscape rich in creativity and innovation, meeting extraordinary minds and witnessing their groundbreaking work in real time. 

Rapid advancements in technology and science are shaping a new era, with artificial intelligence and synthetic biology, or “syn-bio,” at the forefront. Heralded as the next big leap in science, syn-bio involves redesigning organisms for useful purposes by engineering them to have new abilities. The importance of syn-bio for people and our planet cannot be overstated. It offers novel ways of producing almost anything that human beings consume, from flavors and fabrics to foods and fuels. Today, the combination of syn-bio and AI – two of the most potent realms of science and technology – promises to unravel solutions to our most pressing challenges, including Earth’s food and water, the environment and sustainability, bioenergy, and human health care.  One widely recognized trailblazer in syn-bio is Jim Collins, professor of medical engineering and science and professor of biological engineering at MIT. He is also a core founding faculty member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University. In the latest episode of the “Ideas to Innovation Season 3” podcast from Clarivate, Collins helps listeners navigate through the exciting but complex landscape of syn-bio. He also discusses what it was like to be named a Citation Laureate 2023 for his pioneering work in synthetic gene circuits, which launched the field of syn-bio. Each year since 2002, the Citation Laureates program from Clarivate recognizes a small group of highly cited scientists and economists whose influence is comparable to that of past and future Nobel Prize winners. 

Over the past half century, the semiconductor technology landscape has been evolving rapidly, underpinning the digital transformations we witness across the various spheres of life today. Sometimes referred to as integrated circuits or microchips, semiconductors are the backbone of modern electronics. In devices of every type, from simple gadgets to complex systems like computers, cars and household appliances, semiconductors have led to them being smaller or faster or more reliable. More inconspicuously, semiconductors are now enabling innovations in healthcare to flourish.    One company, imec, stands as a vanguard in this area. Their work promises to enable smart health concepts such as precision medicine and genomics to be brought within everyone’s reach, resulting in personalized treatments with better outcomes and lower costs. Joining the latest episode of the “Ideas to Innovation Season 3” podcast from Clarivate is Peter Peumans, Chief Technology Officer - Healthcare Technologies and Senior Fellow at Belgium-based imec.  He and Ed White of Clarivate discuss how innovations in semiconductors led imec to be named one of 36 companies in this year’s Innovators to Watch report from Clarivate. The report – guided by Ed in his role as vice president and principal analyst for IP and Innovation Research at Clarivate –identifies organizations that demonstrate both exceptional potential and above-the-bar innovation excellence. 

The concept of academic libraries has evolved from humble beginnings five thousand years ago to the expansive network that exists today in public schools, colleges, and universities across the United States. It’s easy to see why libraries are worth supporting. They continue to facilitate academic excellence, embrace advancements in technology and foster community and collaboration. Still, looking ahead, academic libraries face several significant challenges, including – perhaps most importantly – the significant cost for their support.     Championing the cause of libraries is the mission of our latest guest on the “Ideas to Innovation Season 3” podcast from Clarivate. John Chrastka serves as executive director of EveryLibrary, a non-profit group that builds voter support for academic libraries and helps them secure funding as well. To advance this mission, Clarivate recently announced a partnership with EveryLibrary that leverages the strengths of the two organizations through dedicated resources and advocacy. John is long-time library trustee, supporter and advocate for academic libraries. Prior to his current role, he served as former partner in AssociaDirect, a Chicago, Illinois-based consultancy focused on support associations in membership recruitment, conference, and governance activities. 

Artificial intelligence is all around us and it’s revolutionizing our world in many ways. In life sciences and healthcare, AI-powered technologies are instrumental in tasks such as diagnostics, precision medicine and even robotic surgery. And the transformative aspect of generative AI is already being felt in areas such as pharmaceutical research, epidemiology and telemedicine. There are projections that the global market for AI in life sciences and healthcare will be $6.7 billion USD by 2030. What is driving such remarkable growth and how rosy is this picture?     Joining us at the start of a new season three of the “Ideas to Innovation” podcast from Clarivate is Henry Levy, who has plenty to say about AI and what it will and won’t enable us to achieve. Henry joined Clarivate earlier this year as President, Life Sciences and Healthcare (LS&H). He leads the teams focused on developing solutions that enable life sciences and healthcare companies and providers to create a healthier tomorrow by connecting them to transformative intelligence and data technology to improve patient lives. With more than 25 years of experience, Henry is the author of multiple articles on drug development and tech trends and a frequent speaker at industry forums. He holds a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

Today, innovation is key to driving business growth and competitive advantage, with intellectual property or IP sitting at the very heart of this strategy. In recent years we’ve witnessed some remarkable strides across the globe in bridging the gender gap in the IP sector. Yet, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization, only 16 percent of international patent applications are filed by women inventors. At this rate, the WIPO doesn’t expect to achieve gender parity before 2064. That’s almost 40 years into the future. So, while progress is being made, clearly much more must be done to quickly close this gap as well as a similar gap in career opportunities for minorities.    Tarianna Stewart – our featured guest in the latest episode of the Ideas to Innovation Season 2 podcast from Clarivate – ventured into her IP career by accident. “I happened to learn about IP during my Ph.D. program and thought, ‘this seems interesting… maybe a little bit better than working in the lab.’” Now an experienced biomedical scientist and accomplished IP professional at the technology unit of New York University in New York City, Tarianna has smart advice for women and people of color who seek to follow in her footsteps and pursue careers in IP and innovation. In our podcast discussion, she recalls how she “fell in love with the tech transfer space,” and offers a ‘been-there-done-that’ perspective on what she believes it will take to foster a more inclusive IP and innovation landscape for the benefit of all involved. 

Maintaining belief in the truthfulness of what we see, read and hear has never been as difficult as it is today. While technology plays a huge role in this current state of affairs, most appalling is the human faker, someone who sets out to deceive and profit with sophisticated methods that pre-date the latest tech advances such as artificial intelligence or AI. In today’s scientific research, fakery can be highly sophisticated, manifesting itself in areas like data and image falsification. Spotting dishonesty across virtual floods of information isn’t easy. Challenging even the most egregious of lies can be tricky as well.     In our latest episode of “Ideas to Innovation Season 2,” we welcome an associate professor who has been able to spot fakes in scientific research publications with uncanny accuracy, to such an extent, in fact, that this talent has earned him the moniker of the “scientific sleuth.” David A. Sanders, a virologist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, argues that fraud is a serious academic issue that must be confronted head on, especially during this age of AI. Through the course of his work, David has become focused on the veracity of scientific literature and has called out publicly, including from the front page of The New York Times, the many times when there are violations of such truthful principles. He shares that it’s important not only for him but for all scientists to point out violations of scientific norms and to discriminate between what is truthful and what is false.

A person born this year is expected to live about 73 years, according to the World Health Organization. But 73 doesn’t reveal the full picture. According to a WHO report published in May, advances in science, related technologies and other factors have helped increase life expectancy worldwide by six years between 2000 and 2019.  Good news, right? However, it’s also true that 80 percent of premature deaths could be avoided if patients and healthcare professionals had the right information at the right time to make better decisions. That’s where artificial intelligence comes in. Today, Patient Connect, a biopharma intelligence company that’s part of Clarivate, is integrating AI into clinical software at point of care for patients around the world, such as, for example, the two million people in the U.S. who suffer from heart failure. These new AI tools are enabling more than a million physicians to provide better care for those suffering from a wide variety of diseases by identifying the most at-risk patients or the patients with the most unmet needs.     To explain how such sophisticated solutions provide better and best care for patients, we welcome back Dr. Grace Lomax to the “Ideas to Innovation Season 2” podcast from Clarivate. Grace founded Patient Connect with her sister, Zoe Barker, in 2008, and the company was acquired by Clarivate in 2021. Patient Connect engagement solutions improve patient outcomes by delivering clinical messaging to the workflows of physicians and pharmacists at the point of patient contact. This messaging helps guide patients to better understand their treatment and disease and empower them to make informed healthcare decisions.     For more information on the many ways Clarivate is using AI to deliver the highest quality content and insights to customers, go to www.clarivate/ai 

Among the consequences of COVID-19 is its adverse impact on the mental health and wellbeing among university students in the United States.  Today’s students deal with many challenges from coursework, relationships and adjustments to campus life, to economic strain, social injustice, mass violence and various forms of loss related to the pandemic. In a 2021 survey, nearly 75 percent of college presidents listed students’ mental health as their most pressing issue. And key findings from a report released this year by non-profit Mental Health America shows more than 10 percent of young people are experiencing depression that severely impairs their ability to function at school or work, at home, with family or in their social life.  Many school leaders have started to think outside the box about how to help. They’re finding ways to incorporate a broader culture of wellness into their policies, systems and day-to-day campus life. In this episode of “Ideas to Innovation Season 2” from Clarivate, we speak with Lisa O’Donnell, assistant professor for the department of social work at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. An expert in bipolar disorder and severe mental illness, she brings a compelling perspective to the topic of university students and mental health. Lisa has served as a clinician for the state of Michigan for more than 18 years, primarily working with adults who have severe mental illness as well as anxiety disorders and OCD-related disorders.   For information on subscriptions to mental health e-books from ProQuest, part of Clarivate, go to https://bit.ly/proquestmentalhealth 

Season 2 Episode 17: Artificial Intelligence: Building bridges between science and policy with Jaron Porciello

Season 2 Episode 16: Seismic shifts in the global research landscape with Jonathan Adams and David Pendlebury