Stories of MDM: From a Conversation to a Career of Making Less Data More Useful

Medical decision-making (MDM) research can improve the practice of medicine, health policies, and outcomes for individual or groups of patients. Yet, the models, analyses, and experiments of medical decision-making research are often opaque to people outside the MDM community. To bridge this communication gap, we are soliciting short, narrative-form essays that describe how and why this type of research matters. These "Stories of MDM" are written for a broad audience by MDM researchers (sometimes coauthored with junior colleagues or trainees). Ideally, Stories of MDM are simple, concrete, and (when appropriate) surprising or unexpected descriptions of research journeys, stories that illuminate both the importance of medical decision problems and how medical decision-making research led to potential solutions. We introduce this ongoing, web-only feature with my own Story of MDM below. Prospective authors should submit manuscripts as editorials and preface their title with "Stories of MDM:...." Submissions are reviewed by MDM Editors and Editorial Board members for style as well as content.