It’s always fun to meet someone early in their career and watch them grow, evolve, and take on new challenges.

I first met Jackie Ward when she received a training grant from CIRM while she studied for her PhD at the University of California, San Diego. Jackie offered to write blogs about her experience, and they were always fun, informative, elegantly written, and engaging. Fast forward a few years and Jackie became a part of Americans For Cures, then she became Chief of Staff at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), and finally – at least so far – she took on the role of Assistant Director at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

Not too shabby, eh.

So, I reached out to Jackie and asked her some questions about her work and career. She generously put aside keeping the nation healthy to answer them. Enjoy.

What made you decide to move from research into government?

I think if you asked my high school government teacher (shout out to Mr. Bell!), he would be the least surprised that I ended up where I am. I was always interested in topics and activities beyond science, but at a certain point you have to choose a path. When it came time to decide my undergraduate major, I figured that if I pursued my interest in biology, it would still keep my options open to do something different in my career, but if I chose to be a French major, a Political Science major, or an English major – I might close the door on my ability to pursue scientific research. In graduate school, I saw how government (both state and federal) decisions affected lab work. This takes the form of where funding goes, but also in the rules you have to follow while doing research. Though I liked pursuing new knowledge and designing and running experiments, I wanted to understand how those government decisions are made upstream of the lab bench.

What’s the most surprising thing you have learned in your time at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)

Maybe not “surprising,” but not obvious to outsiders: OSTP’s budget is tiny compared to other Executive Branch agencies (like where I came from previously at NIH). We accomplish our work solely by forming partnerships and collaborations with others across government. We are not typically the rowers, but we can be the steerer or navigator. (Is the term coxswain? I have never been on a crew team, obviously.)

Was it hard to transition from research to advocacy and now to policy?

Honestly I feel like my training in research set me up well for the jobs I’ve had in policy. Often, no one tells you exactly how to do something, you have to do the work yourself: search the literature, talk to other people, find collaborators, and keep at it. The skills you hone in research, from keeping an organized lab notebook to writing scientific papers, are the same skills you need in government. 

At a time when so many people seem so skeptical of science, how do you get your message out

We have to meet people where they are. As a government official, I have great respect for messages that come from experts within the government, but that is not the only way the message should get out. Scientists and other community experts should also be spokespeople for science. I urge scientists at every level, whether you are a citizen scientist, a medical doctor, a PhD student, or some other kind of expert, to engage with their communities and put in the work to understand how to communicate effectively beyond just speaking to your colleagues.

One issue so many of us, including here at CIRM, are working on is improving our performance in diversity, equity, and inclusion. How big an issue is that for you and your colleagues at OSTP, and what are you doing to try and address it?

The mission of our office is to “maximize the benefits of science and technology to advance health, prosperity, security, environmental quality, and justice for all Americans.” Those final two words are key: “all Americans.” It is the policy of this Office and our Administration that it is not okay for the benefits of science & technology to only reach a select few – who can afford it, who live in a certain zip code, or who know the right people. 

This takes different forms depending on what kind of S&T work we are talking about, but I will give you an example from my own work. I have been leading an effort to explore and act on how digital health care delivery technologies can increase access to healthcare in community-based health settings. We know these cutting-edge technologies are most likely to reach people who, for example, receive care at academic medical centers, have premium health insurance plans, or are already tech-savvy. As these technologies continue to grow within the healthcare system, we feel it’s imperative to ensure they are accessible to practitioners and patients at community health centers, usable by people who may not be tech geeks, and interoperable with the systems community health workers use.

During a time of COVID and now Monkeypox, what’s it like to have a front-row seat and watch how government responds to public health emergencies?

My colleagues who work on outbreaks and pandemic responses are some of the most dedicated public servants I know. They will be the first to admit we are continually learning and adding new tools and technologies to our toolbox, and that is a constant effort. Emergent issues like outbreaks force decisions when there may not be much information; that is a hard job.  

I’ve always felt that DC would be a fun place to live and work (except during the height of summer!). What do you most like about it

DC is full of people who care deeply (almost pathologically) about their work and about making the world a better place. There’s also incredible diversity here – which means a variety of viewpoints, languages, and food! I love that.

Jackie is not just a good writer. She’s also a great speaker. Here’s a clip of her responding to our Elevator Challenge many years ago, when she was still a fledgling researcher. Her explanation of what she does is a master class in making a complex subject easy to understand.