Communicating scientific knowledge to policy makers

Deborah Thomson, DVM, explained that similar to how those in veterinary school speak their own "language," politicians, policy makers, and other related staff do as well. In this interview with dvm360^®, Thomson previewed her book, The Art of Science Communication, which offers tips on deciphering this unique language.

View the video below for the entire discussion. The following is a partial transcript:

Deborah Thomson, DVM: When I was working on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., I was the token scientist in 1 of the largest congressional offices in Washington, D.C. and so I was constantly seeing constituents or voters coming in with important messages…but they [were] constantly missing the mark…so when they left the office, my colleagues often said, ‘OK Deb can you translate that for us—how is that science important for us? What can we do with this information’…so I thought I’m going to share this knowledge and make a book.