In this episode of Immune, host Cindy Lifer speaks with Dr. Aimee Pugh Bernard, an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado, about her journey from a traditional immunology research path to becoming a passionate educator and science communicator. Dr. Bernard shares her non-linear career trajectory, which included intensive teaching, developing medical guidelines, and creating condensed immunology workshops called "fun-size human immunology" for non-specialists. She discusses her current role, where she collaborates with basic scientists to translate their complex research into accessible language for the general public, aiming to overcome barriers like scientific jargon and journal paywalls. Dr. Bernard emphasizes the critical need for scientists to communicate their work effectively, share their "small wins," and engage with audiences on social media. She provides actionable advice and resources for trainees interested in science communication, including workshops and writing platforms, and concludes by sharing the fun origin of her social media handle, "Funsize Immuno Ninja."
Teaching and Communicating Immunology with Aimee Pugh Bernard
1:39 A Non-Traditional Career Path: Dr. Aimee Bernard outlines her career journey, which started with a Ph.D. in human B cell tolerance, followed by two postdocs, an intense four-course-per-semester teaching role, and a position writing clinical guidelines before returning to the University of Colorado to help establish a human immunology initiative.
8:36 Educating the Experts: Dr. Bernard developed a successful series of intensive, three-day "fun-size human immunology" workshops to teach immunology fundamentals to faculty, physicians, and postdocs from other fields who needed to understand the immune system for their own research.
11:21 Shifting Focus to Science Communication: Her current work involves translating the research of basic scientists for a general audience. The goal is to make foundational science understandable, showcase its impact, and help foundational scientists gain public recognition and potential funding often received by clinicians.
15:17 Overcoming Barriers to Public Understanding: Dr. Bernard identifies two major obstacles that prevent the public from accessing scientific discoveries: the paywalls of academic journals and the widespread use of impenetrable scientific jargon. Her work focuses on eliminating the jargon barrier.
18:35 A Process for Translating Science: She describes her method for working with scientists: she reads their papers, sends a questionnaire to understand their perspective, writes an accessible summary or "meet the scientist" profile, and collaborates with them to ensure accuracy before publishing on a public-facing website.
22:43 Trusted Resources for Science Information: Dr. Bernard recommends several platforms for reliable science communication, including "Unbiased Science" (where she is a contributor), her own free and remote "Communicating Your Science to the Public" workshop series through CCTSI, and the "Science Bites" blog, a platform where trainees can practice writing.
25:05 The Importance of Social Media: She argues that scientists must be active on social media platforms because a significant portion of the population, especially younger people, gets their news and information there. If scientists aren't present, the void is filled by non-experts.
26:41 Advice for Aspiring Science Communicators: Dr. Bernard encourages trainees interested in science communication to take workshops, start a professional social media presence to practice, and get writing experience on platforms designed for them. She believes science communication should be a mandatory part of scientific training.
30:57 The "Funsize Immuno Ninja": She reveals that her social media handle comes from her 5'2" height ("fun-size") and the fact that she earned a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo alongside her children.