Mark Bisby, research advisor and advocate
Mark Bisby is an ex-professor, ex-civil servant. He ran his own lab in physiology and neuroscience for 25 years, and then joined the Medical Research Council of Canada just before it transitioned into the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), where he became VP Research. There, beyond his own specialty knowledge, he learned a great deal about the importance of other approaches to health research such as population health, and health services research. Mark retired six years ago, but like so many people seems to have been just as active since! We asked him how he’s using his broad knowledge and experience. Continue reading →
Alistair Scott, knowledge manager for aid and international development
The Institute of Development Studies (IDS), based in the UK, is a leading global charity for international development research, teaching and communications. Alistair Scott is an Information Systems Manager with its Mobilising Knowledge for Development (MK4D) programme.
Alistair explains what they do:
We work with partners in developing countries to build a bridge from research to policy and practice. We do this by delivering open access information products and services such as Joto Afrika – an East African briefing series on Climate Change Adaptation which was developed jointly between ourselves and the Kenyan organisation ALIN (Arid Lands Information Network).
BJ Nicholls, fossil preparator
In his professional life, BJ Nicholls is an advertising designer; but in his spare time he, along with is wife Lori, is a volunteer fossil preparator at the Natural History Museum of Utah. What does that entail?
Most fossil discoveries require a tremendous amount of preparation work after a specimen is excavated. Fossils are typically brought back to preparation labs with little of the fossil exposed. We’ve been trained to remove the surrounding rock (called matrix) and to stabilize fossil bones that are often in very poor condition.
Eric Johnson, patent facilitator and cancer survivor
Eric Johnson is an engineering professional working as a patent facilitator for a multinational company. One of his jobs is to find information and “connect the dots” related to intellectual property of competitors, to develop research strategies for his company. He is also a multiple occurrence Testicular Cancer survivor who used the medical literature to research his condition and inform his treatment.
I do not believe I would be alive today if it were not for the information that can only be accessed by the layman (patient) in online sources.
Who needs access? You need access! 
