On the back of National Science Week 2025, we’re bringing you a special episode this week featuring our exclusive interview with Queensland's Chief Scientist, Professor Kerrie Wilson, whose role it is to champion the importance of science for our society, our economy and environment, to promote Queensland’s leadership in scientific research partnerships, and to facilitate that translation of research to the general public.

SWN's Editor-in-Chief Dr Amanda Niehaus and co-host Bianca Millroy had the incredible opportunity to sit down with Professor Kerrie Wilson, who gave generous insight into what a day in the life of a Chief Scientist involves, what’s happening in Queensland science in the Year of Quantum, the role of science (including the social sciences) and the arts in combating mis- and dis-information, and so much more.

In this episode, we cover a diverse range of topics such as:

• what the role of Chief Scientist entails, and how Professor Kerrie Wilson transitioned into this role from her background in the tertiary education sector and as a dedicated environmental scientist
• what incited Kerrie to embark on a career in science, and her advice for anyone considering a career in STEM
• why Queensland is uniquely positioned in Quantum science and key initiatives that Kerrie and her team are leading in this space
• how the Office of the Chief Scientist actively supports STEM education and accessibility across the state, including the annual Women in STEM Prize and Engaging Science grants
• how science communication and research translation, combining science and arts, is vital in terms of combating mis- and dis-information
• the vision for Queensland science; key priorities, challenges and opportunities unique to our state looking ahead into the future, given its diverse environment, natural resources, demographic and First Nations peoples.

Throughout this episode, we highlight some of the current priorities, achievements and key initiatives of Professor Wilson and her team. Further links and resources are available in the full show notes on the SWN website.

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Science Write Now is dedicated to accessibility, connectivity, inspiration and collaboration across disciplines. Our content is free to access and we want to keep it that way, so if you’re keen to be part of this growing community of creative writing inspired by science, hit subscribe!

We’ll be back with another episode soon, and more conversations inspired by science and creativity to come!

We acknowledge the Jaegara and Turrbal People, Traditional Owners of the land on which this podcast is created, and the unceded cultural lands on which our guests live and continue to make and tell stories.

In our previous conversation, we explored FND through the lens of neurology and linguistics, and our three experts spoke about re-writing the narrative of FND. One of the key issues highlighted during our conversation is the critical gap when it comes to general practitioners (GPs) and functional symptoms. This really struck a chord with me and so I went away and did some research and came across Dr Gillian Deakin, a GP based in Sydney who is particularly passionate about functional conditions, and has written a book titled What the hell is wrong with me? that addresses this very fraught and frustrating problem. This is a special bonus episode that ties into Cognitive Conversations #9 from the perspective of a GP who is pushing for more awareness and advocacy around functional conditions in general practice. Enjoy listening, then read more in the Show Notes!

Meet today's guest: Dr Gillian Deakin has been studying and working in medicine for over 40 years, having graduated from Sydney University. She's worked as a doctor in Sydney and the Outback, where she cared for the cast and crew on a film set, and later, with the Royal Flying Doctors Service and the Aboriginal health services. After wintering in Antarctica as the medical officer at Davis research station, she completed her doctoral thesis, ‘Cardiovascular Risk Factors in the Antarctic’. She then undertook a master’s in public health at Sydney University, following which she directed an aid program on the remote islands of Kiribati. Returning to Sydney, she trained as a specialist GP. While keeping an up-to-date clinical knowledge of orthodox medicine, Dr Deakin has broadened her expertise through studies in nutrition and lifestyle medicine. Her first book, 101 things a GP would tell you if only there was time, was published in 2006. Her latest book is What the hell is wrong with me? How to recover from pain, fatigue, weakness and other undiagnosed symptoms. Dr Deakin has been featured on ABC Conversations and ABC Sydney Mornings.

Connect with Dr Deakin on Instagram and visit her website.

Enjoyed this episode? Share the SWN love!

If you liked this episode, leave us a review and share it far and wide.

Science Write Now is dedicated to accessibility, connectivity, inspiration and collaboration across disciplines. Our content is free to access and we want to keep it that way, so if you’re keen to be part of this growing community of creative writing inspired by science, hit subscribe!

We’ll be back with another episode soon, and more conversations inspired by science and creativity to come!

We acknowledge the Jaegara and Turrbal People, Traditional Owners of the land on which this podcast is created, and the unceded cultural lands on which our guests live and continue to make and tell stories.

This week on the SWN podcast, we chat to neurologists Dr Alex Lehn and Dr David Palmer with sociolinguistic expert, Dr Shelley Dawson on re-writing the narrative of functional neurological disorders (FND) and why labels — and language — matter.

Functional neurological disorders are one of the most common disorders you’ve never heard of. But an estimated 4 to 12 out of 100,000 people develop FND, and it’s the second most common presentation in neurology clinics worldwide. Tests and scans such as MRIs and EEG can’t pick up functional issues, however; leaving patients misdiagnosed, or dismissed entirely. This is where the arts — the power of our stories and language — come in.

In this conversation, we get to the heart of our grey matter, exploring a topic that is deeply personal and yet widely felt in our communities, among patients, allied health professionals and medical experts. An issue that is largely invisible and yet deceptively common. We uncover the historical basis, harmful discourse, and pervasive mythologies underpinning functional disorders, and what the future holds in terms of emerging research at the intersection of mind, brain and body.

It’s time to re-write the narrative.

Access the FULL SHOW NOTES on the SWN website.

Cognitive Conversations is hosted by Bianca Millroy. This episode was recorded and produced in Meanjin, Brisbane.

Enjoyed this episode? Share the SWN love!

If you liked this episode, leave us a review and share it far and wide.

Science Write Now is dedicated to accessibility, connectivity, inspiration and collaboration across disciplines. Our content is free to access and we want to keep it that way, so if you’re keen to be part of this growing community of creative writing inspired by science, hit subscribe!

We’ll be back with another episode soon, and more conversations inspired by science and creativity to come!

We acknowledge the Jaegara and Turrbal People, Traditional Owners of the land on which this podcast is created, and the unceded cultural lands on which our guests live and continue to make and tell stories.