Forbes’s “30 Under 30” Omits Hyped Teenager
Matthew Herper of Forbes performs a comprehensive and necessary critical examination of the work of “biotech whiz kid” Jack Andraka. The 16-year-old’s overly bally-hooed pancreatic screening test may turn out to be useful, but the claims haven’t been peer-reviewed and may not ultimately hold up, according to Herper’s independent science reviewers.
And let’s not even talk about the usefulness of Forbes’s “30 Under 30” list, particularly when it comes to science generally and medicine and biotechnology specifically. As one commenter wrote, “[G]ood luck finding a scientist [for this list]…most will be about midway through a first postdoc.” I agree that the Forbes exercise seems pointless at such an early age in the these training-heavy professions. Nevertheless the media, the public, and the selected narcissists love these lists–so Forbes’s exercise will continue until the Sun blows up the Earth. Sigh.
Stock image of future scientist crawling on carpet.
A native East Tennessean, Barbara Martin is a formerly practicing, board-certified neurologist who received her BS (psychology, summa cum laude) and MD from Duke University before completing her postgraduate training (internship, residency, fellowship) at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She has worked in academia, private practice, medical publishing, drug market research, and continuing medical education (CME). For the last 3 years, she has worked in a freelance capacity as a medical writer, analyst, and consultant. Follow Dr. Barbara Martin on Google + and Twitter.
