I’m curious to hear people’s takes on these ideas! Thanks, Josh
23.02.2026 02:31
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I’m curious to hear people’s takes on these ideas! Thanks, Josh
(2) The human half matters – Stigma and invalidation is sneaky. You can get something that looks polished and still makes a kid feel blamed, or “it’s just stress”. Since this study we’ve replicated it with voice chatbots (paper in prep), and we’re trying to move toward real-world studies...
(1) Benchmarks can saturate fast - Once we provided explicit criteria, responses could basically “max out” usefulness/readability. That sounds great… but it also means our old benchmarks stop being informative. Now: what do we measure, & what’s the human’s role when outputs look good by default?
Is this new paper already out of date?
Bec/Scott/Elan/Bruno/myself loved wrestling with this study in early 2025, and the paper is now here doi.org/10.1002/pne2...
Two angles on this paper that I think will endure beyond the quickly updating version numbers of GenAI chatbots:
Build as you think: the gap between ideas and working health apps is collapsing. I wrote up this experiment here - open.substack.com/pub/palpateh...
From a paragraph to a working ‘beep test’ app in 30mins.
Read the full thought experiment on my Substack (Palpate Health AI) open.substack.com/pub/palpateh...
It's 2030. Your GP is wearing an AI earpiece. So are you. So is everyone in the clinic.
Except the kid.
Surely not?!
Hi health professionals with a Notes app full of ideas: software is quickly becoming “on-demand” now that AI agents can do many steps at once… here’s a Substack I wrote about my experiments so far - open.substack.com/pub/palpateh...
Have you tried Gemini 3 yet? Curious how it stacks up against ChatGPT 5.1 and Claude Sonnet 4.5 for real health questions?
I used my 4-year-old’s (actually) broken arm photo for an AI experiment.
Substack article:
open.substack.com/pub/palpateh...
Flying to Florence with UNICEF collaborators to explore how AI might open up new possibilities for children’s health.
I have also just launched a new substack, Palpate: Health AI. Testing new tools with plain language takeaways.
Follow along here: palpatehealthai.substack.com/p/launching-...
...So now I’m thinking: How might health and education teams best collaborate so that teachers feel confident in supporting students with pain (without feeling like they’re taking on the burden of healthcare)?
Well done Bec!
Read the paper here: doi.org/10.1002/pne2...
...Teachers naturally draw on their strengths (relationships, comfort-scaffolding, inclusion practices) to support students in pain. But societal misconceptions (eg. “pain must mean tissue damage”) can leave them questioning whether pain is “real,” which risks reinforcing stigma or school absence...
Huge congratulations to Rebecca Fechner on another paper from her PhD! The study explored how teachers understand and respond to student pain...
It was all smiles in the front row of this morning’s packed-out author reading!
Seriously though, it is quite a thrill to encourage the next generation with the latest science of healthy physical activity habits. The kids loved meeting Twirl “for real life”!
#childrensauthor #libraryvisit
‘Twirl Tries It All’ story-time, Thurs 17 Jul, 10:30am @ the brand new Kirrawee Library+, feat. Twirl!
www.sutherlandshire.nsw.gov.au/subsites/lib...
Sunday Telegraph pg 7 #scicomm: I was interviewed about threading physio research into children's books. Next - if you’re in the Shire wanting free science-infused storytimes (ha!) you are welcome to come on Thursday! Details below.
NEW PAPER
The idea of ‘body mindsets’ is so fascinating. Have you ever thought of your body as:
1. capable?
2. responsive?
3. an adversary?
Link re: adolescents with chronic pain (led by the excellent Emily Dowling and Lauren Heathcote! What a great team) -
doi.org/10.1097/AJP....
New paper led by brilliant UK collaborators:
- Teens thought more broadly about pain,
- they said "recovery is possible", and
- their behavioural intentions changed.
doi.org/10.1016/j.ms...
Please pass it on to people you know working alongside teens challenged by pain - thanks!
How good is this? Bec’s PhD research is already making a real difference. The UTS media team just published a story about how her work is helping children feel supported at school. Please feel free to share it with your school/teacher/principal friends:
www.uts.edu.au/case-studies...
What a privilege it is to work hard researching topics that get described as mind-blowing!
How can we better understand in-clinic turning points for kids facing chronic pain?
I think this study is a simple way to make a big difference. Message me on LinkedIn if you are interested. and I can connect you with Jen Norton. Thanks!
#ChronicPain #Research #PediatricPain #PaediatricPain
I was reminded that when we give kids access to new scientific findings in their language, they certainly run with it!
A big thanks to @aipscience.bsky.social. What a blast!
This morning I worked alongside 320 budding scientists (kids!) for a series of school visit sessions co-ordinated by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science. We had a lot of fun exploring the latest science together.
(The book signings even continued at the airport tonight, ha! What a joy to entertain and help the next generation of humans to thrive!)
Also today, a new industry partnership PhD opportunity was announced with RSD, where I’m on the supervisory panel of Louise Moseley who is kicking off her research journey in July. Go Lou!
The panel discussion alongside Prof Tony Okley (UoW) and Dr Emma Watkins (Emma Memma!) was a highlight of the massive conference.
Flew in and out of the Gold Coast today to launch an important new resource - a preschool children’s book about school readiness. It’s my 2nd book collaborating with Ready Set Dance, and I’m thrilled about this collaboration.
A big congratulations to Bec Fechner for another paper published for her PhD! Let us know if you want access to the full text.
doi.org/10.1097/ajp....
#chronicpain
Here’s an exciting opportunity to dip your toes into the research world (or for a seasoned researcher to join the team) as we explore the world of strengths-based healthcare!
