LinkedIn Video, Transparency, Accessibility: The View from the Stem Cell Trenches at CIRM

A LinkedIn video praising CIRM and transparency

An infectious video involving the transparency of a California state biomedical research organization, whose 17,000-word genome rarely inspires influencers, caught my attention recently.

It popped up on LinkedIn, an online site dedicated to those seeking to work and companies seeking to hire. At least originally. Now, LinkedIn has become a site increasingly involving comments from individuals about their work and lots of mutual backslapping.

CIRM, the $12 billion California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, is active on the site. But most of its postings are less than electric, although necessary to follow if one wants to know what the enterprise is up to.

I was looking into its latest, LinkedIn “attaboy” for efforts by its grantees or itself when the video involving a CIRM senior grants management officer surfaced (see above).

“I love making grants,” said the person in the video, Alexandra Caraballo, as she walked through a residential neighborhood. She made a pleasant and believable case for CIRM’s fairness, accessibility, accountability and transparency.

Of course, transparency and accessibility are catnip for reporters, who pretty much consider that the No. 1 imperative for any government program.

I assumed that Caraballo’s video was part of CIRM’s reenergized and refocused communications efforts and thought it would be a good starting point for an article since CIRM is virtually unknown by the people of California. But no. I was convincingly told that it was her own thing.

While I could point to examples of how CIRM could be more transparent, Caraballo was persuasive and, to use a cliche, authentic. Her catchy video appeared fresh and sincere. Plus it carried nice, graphically appealing captions as she spoke.

After I contacted CIRM’s central communications command for more information, Amy Adams, senior director of the department, posted this comment on Caraballo’s LinkedIn video: “Thank you so much for this commentary! I agree completely.”

Carballo replied online, “Thank you! I’m passionate about shining a light on CIRM’s incredible grantmaking approach—it’s a rare gem that isn’t easily found elsewhere.”

As for CIRM’s less than appealing genome, it can be found in the 17,000, mostly turgid words of the ballot initiative that created and financed it.