key: cord-0911890-ejfmbxc5
authors: nan
title: Apart, together: reflections from the Trends editorial team on the COVID-19 pandemic
date: 2021-11-23
journal: Trends Neurosci
DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2021.10.001
sha: 020a3fdf86b963f82fdffdc98a65aea9527f2bd2
doc_id: 911890
cord_uid: ejfmbxc5

nan

Apart, together: reflections from the Trends editorial team on the COVID-19 pandemic

The Trends editorial team * December 2021 marks approximately 2 years since the early reports of a respiratory virus outbreak (as described at the time), later named COVID-19. Few could have envisioned what would transpire over the coming months. None can accurately predict how things will unfold in the years to come. The pandemic continues, diminished in some places, unabated in others, and periodically re-emerging throughout. Although the future remains uncertain, we have chosen at the Trends portfolio of journals to use this opportunity to reflect on some of the indelible aspects of this difficult epoch and our hopes for the future.

As the COVID-19 outbreak rapidly evolved into a global pandemic, phrases based on scientific principles, such as 'flatten the curve', 'herd immunity', and 'hotspots', assumed unprecedented importance in everyday life. The phrase 'follow the science' soon transformed into a trending tagline, with the status of scientists sometimes elevated to that of celebrities. Yet, despite the esteem and accomplishments, scientists and clinicians are as vulnerable as others to the virus they have led the fight against. As part of this reflection, the Trends team recognizes the scientists, researchers, clinicians, and healthcare workers who lost their lives to COVID-19, whether directly or indirectly. These include individuals who succumbed to complications arising from SARS-CoV-2 infections, including those whose passing reflects the growing mental health toll of the pandemic. Still others suffered delayed diagnosis and treatment for chronic illnesses and diseases because of overburdened healthcare systems. More recently, we have been grieved to learn of vaccinated healthcare workers who nonetheless died from COVID-19, as they continued to battle outbreaks. These are sobering reminders of the sacrifices that have been made and the magnitude of the loss endured by so many.

As more and more countries faced the threat of the pandemic and the ensuring societal challenges, the scientific community has embraced calls for collective action, sustaining an unparalleled pace of progress and discovery over the past 2 years, even in the face of significant setbacks. With lockdowns in place worldwide, laboratory closures and restrictions imperiled research on a global scale. In some institutions, scientists and clinicians were required or encouraged to divert efforts from their groups' research to instead help to fight COVID-19 by processing tests, formulating sanitizers, donating equipment, and/or working on the frontlines i,ii . Laboratory heads scrambled to sustain their research and keep their teams safe, with some struggling to obtain basic supplies and keep model organisms alive. In academia, colleges and universities faced major challenges as they grappled with plummeting student enrolment and the challenges of remote learning. Under these circumstances, some researchers have lost their jobs and others have been facing fraught paths for navigating milestones such as preparing grant applications and tenure packages. There is growing evidence that the pandemic's negative impact on researchers' careers has been greater for women researchers, researchers with children, early-career researchers, underserved ethnic/racial groups, and other disadvantaged communities [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] iii-v . Undeniably, the pandemic has also taken a significant toll on the mental well-being of researchers and students alike; individuals have coped and dealt with the severe restrictions and isolation with varying levels *Correspondence: tins@cell.com. 

Neurosciences of success. The wounds inflicted by the pandemic on the scientific community run deep and will certainly take time to heal. Science continues, despite everything, thanks to the dedication, endurance, and compassion of research communities across the globe. Those with access to their laboratories often worked grueling hours to advance coronavirus research, while those barred from their space embraced creative approaches to continue their own, still vital, research. Group meetings and departmental visits through virtual platforms helped maintain past connections and sometimes forge new collaborations. Meetings and conferences turned virtual, providing access to many who would not have otherwise been able to attend. The pandemic has captured the public's attention and interest and, in response, scientists have used social media and other platforms to discuss COVID-19 with the public directly [6, 7] vi . It is our hope that these public outreach efforts will continue and even broaden in the coming years.

Together, these scientific efforts have led, and continue to lead, to remarkable achievements. From sequencing the SARS-CoV-2 genome, to unearthing host factors involved in viral entry, characterizing the methods of transmission and spread of the virus, and continued genomic surveillance of new viral variants, scientists and health professionals are working tirelessly to develop and deploy tools to combat the pandemic. These collective and collaborative efforts made it possible to move therapies from bench to bedside and serve as a reminder that we are 'all in this together'. As the pandemic continues to run its uncertain course, it is our hope that the contributions of the scientific community to society and medicine will be valued and recognized, as well as reciprocated via the support that make scientific progress possible.

Resources i www.sciencemag.org/features/2021/01/pandemic-pivot-how-scientists-answered-call-diagnostic-tests ii www.gov.uk/government/news/ukaeas-helping-hand-for-the-nhs iii www.bordertelegraph.com/news/national/18826659.pandemic-threatens-research-early-career-scientists-look-leave/ iv https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/18/health/coronavirus-research-gender-bias-scn/index.html v www.forbes.com/sites/ashleystahl/2021/04/02/struggles-for-working-parents-are-likely-to-remain-postpandemic/?sh=437133ed6856 vi www.the-scientist.com/careers/science-and-policy-collide-during-the-pandemic-67882

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