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It was standing room only at this year’s Chanchlani Global Health Research Award & Lecture on February 6, as Stanford University professor Dr. John Ioannidis received the award and delivered his talk, “Improving Research Practices: A Global Challenge.”

Ioannidis, who wrote the “cult classic” paper about why most published research findings are false, delivered a dynamic presentation with a call to action to better align biomedical research priorities with global needs.

He addressed some of the main problems with current research practices: the pressure to produce “statistically and/or conceptually significant results,” the need to realign incentives and rewards to ensure better outcomes, and the idea that “some research and evidence tools have become too successful, and can be easily subverted.”

According to The Atlantic, Ioannidis “may be one of the most influential scientists alive,” but this Brave Thinker Scientist (2010) made sure to conclude his presentation with a humble acknowledgement of the colleagues and peers he has worked with.

Emphasizing the need to safeguard quality and relevance in future research, Ioannidis left the audience with an inspiring message: that “science is the best thing that has happened to humans,” and that “while biomedical research has been extremely helpful for humanity, we can do better.”

The Chanchlani Global Health Research Award was created by the Chanchlani family and McMaster University in 2012 as an annual event to recognize a leading scholar in the field of global health.