A Day in the Life of Dr. Bean and How the NIH Is Wasting $20 Billion per Year

Interviewer: Good morning, Dr. Bean. Thank you for accepting this opportunity to be interviewed. Your comments will be very useful for the new generation of young and upcoming scientists. Given your very successful career, you likely have much to say and lots of advice to give. My objective this morning is to describe one of your typical days. I am sure it will be fun. Should we start?Dr. Bean: Yes, my pleasure. Please go ahead.Interviewer: My interview will be broken into blocks of 2 hours. So, let us start with the first 2 hours of your day.Dr. Bean: Sure, I get up at 6 AM. I first make coffee and eat my breakfast, which brings me to 6:30 AM; then I do my exercise on a treadmill I have at home, finishing at 7:30 AM. You see, at 62, I must do this, otherwise, who knows what might happen. Then, I walk to work and open my office at exactly 8 AM.Interviewer: Sounds great. I guess at this time you are well-rested, relaxed, and ready to go.Dr. Bean: Absolutely! This is the premium time of my day from 8 to 10 AM. And I have strict instructions to my secretary—never book any appointments in this time block. I want this time for myself, for the most challenging part of my job.Interviewer: And what is that?Dr. Bean: Writing grants. You see, now I am …