Femi Oshin

Infectious diseases physician and epidemiologist with interests in immunomodulation, epidemic surveillance and emergency response

[Mushtaq Bilal, PhD @MushtaqBilalPhD]

Nature rejected her paper for not being original,

University of Pennsylvania (her employer) demoted her,

and yesterday Katalin Karikó won the Noble Prize in physiology.

In mid-2000s, Karikó and her Drew Weismann submitted their paper on mRNA (messenger Ribonucleic Acid) to Nature.

Nature desk rejected their paper for being "an incremental contribution" only. The paper was later published in another journal, Immunity.

Earlier in her career at the University of Pennsylvania, Karikó was demoted because her applications for grants kept getting rejected.
But Karikó persevered and kept on going.

In 2013, she joined BioNTech, a German company founded by two scientists, Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci. In 2018, BioNTech partnered with Pfizer to develop mRNA vaccines against the influenza virus.

When the COVID-19 hit the world, Karikó's research helped Pfizer to produce the first vaccine against the disease.

I don't know how the Nature editors who desk rejected Karikó's paper and the Penn administration who demoted her feel about Karikó Nobel Prize.

Takeaway: Many academics and scientists worry about getting published in "prestigious" journals. Instead of worrying about prestige, we should try to put our work out as quickly as possible like Karikó did.

Once you put your work out without caring about prestige, two good things happen:

1. Your work will lead to newer opportunities.
2. You will start getting feedback from the scholarly community, which you can use to iterate and improve.

Here's another interesting Nobel Prize story.

Peter Higgs, a British physicist, joined the University of Edinburgh in 1956. By 1964, Higgs has published his groundbreaking work about subatomic particles.

After 1964, Higgs published less than 10 papers.
When his department would ask him how many papers, he published in a given year, he would reply "None."

It happened so often that he stared feeling like an "embarrassment to the department."

The University of Edinburgh, however, never fired Higgs because in 1980 he had been nominated for the Nobel Prize.

Higgs retired in 1996 and stayed on as an emeritus professor at Edinburg.

In 2012, experiments conducted at the CERN laboratory confirmed Higgs work and the existence of Higgs Particle.

And in 2013, Higgs was awarded the Noble Prize in physics and the University of Edinburgh got rewarded for being patient.

[Dr Chris Day @drcmday]

I could not believe my eyes when I read this.

[Femi Oshin @oshpuppi]

@fumyayodele @Poland @RauZbigniew @PolandMFA They’re missing a trick by not smoothing visa processes for prospective Nigerian students. There are other countries waiting in the wings!

[Olufunmilola I. Ayodele @fumyayodele]

@Poland What's happening with student visas appointments in Abuja?
https://t.co/FmASx4RGca
@RauZbigniew
@PolandMFA

[Femi Oshin @oshpuppi]

@agu_irukwu ‘Letting my hair down!’

[Femi Oshin @oshpuppi]

@ladiowolabi @docolumide ‘3rd/4th shots’? Please share your source

[Bleacher Report @BleacherReport]

Nigeria defeats Team USA, 90-87.

[Femi Oshin @oshpuppi]

@54kdoctors @drcmday @normanlamb @EveryDoctorUK @TheDA_UK Surprise surprise @TheBMA abandons another member at most trying time on one of biggest issues in our profession, and when you’ve managed to turn tide @TheBMA pipes up, looking to take glory. Watch your back @drcmday because later on @TheBMA will stab you in back when suits them

[Femi Oshin @oshpuppi]

Love, love this! Straight up! 🤣

[Sarah Russel, MD, MPH @srussel10]

One of our trauma patients told a team of three women surgeons that we needed to find a man who could support us financially, so I docked him a point on his GCS for confusion.

[Femi Oshin @oshpuppi]

@docolumide Bro, just reading this. So sorry to hear of your dad’s passing. Our prayer for you and the rest of your family is for strength, more wisdom and that God comforts you

[Femi Oshin @oshpuppi]

Stacey Abrams @staceyabrams for UK ambassador? Absolutely 😇

[BOBI WINE @HEBobiwine]

We are under siege. The military has jumped over the fence and has now taken control of our home

[Femi Oshin @oshpuppi]

@docolumide Go build bro. You’ve got this!

[Naijablogger @Naijablogger]

-This is another veteran killer SARS officer in Ibadan. He is popularly called OC Aremu. RT his pics for awareness. #EndSARS

[Femi Oshin @oshpuppi]

@ekemma 🤣🤣

['Fisayo Soyombo @fisayosoyombo]

Social media critic Abubakar Idris, better known as Dadiyata, would have turned 35 today. Or maybe he did and we just don’t know.

Since his abduction by unknown armed men at about 1am on August 2, 2019, nothing has been heard from him.
#WhereIsDadiyata?

[Maazị Iheanyi Igboko @coolfinesse]

For 307 days, the search is still on for @dadiyata who was abducted by masked gunmen.

We're still asking #WhereisDadiyata #HappyBirthdayDadiyata

[Abdul-Aziz Na'ibi Abubakar @jrnaib2]

They can forgive bandits

They can forgive rapists

They can forgive robbers

But critics aren't allowed to raise their voice on government

Hanifa is still asking for her father's whereabouts.
#whereisdadiyata???
#JusticeforDadiyata

[Hassan Sani Tukur @Noble_Hassan]

Haneefa, @dadiyata's daughter is celebrating her birthday today. I can't imagine how much this little angel has missed her daddy.
#WhereIsDadiyata #ReleaseDadiyataNow

[Adetutu Balogun, MBA @Tutsy22]

Source: "Madam, He is not in any of the holes.

Moi: Holes?

Source: DSS underground cells.

Moi: Ok, so where are they keeping him?

Source: If a person is not in the holes, it's not a good sign.

#WhereIsDadiyata?😓😓😓