Science, Skepticism, and Public Trust with Lola Akapo

In this episode of Braver New Worlds, Nathan sits down with Lola Akapo, founder of Benchtop to Boardroom, a biotech communications consultancy specializing in mRNA therapeutics and biologics. Drawing on nearly a decade of vaccine and drug development work, Lola argues that the biotech companies shaping the future of medicine can’t simply rely on building breakthrough technologies. They also need to be proactive towards building trust.Lola shares the concept of a "trust infrastructure" which includes the partnerships, educational efforts, and coalition-building that all serves to help investors, regulators, advocacy groups, and the public understand why scientific work matters long before a therapy reaches the market.The conversation also dives into the tension between healthy skepticism and public trust, the challenge of communicating complex science to non-scientists, and whether society needs more "translators" who can bridge the gap between researchers and the wider world. Along the way, Nathan and Lola discuss scientific literacy, risk, regulation, storytelling, and how societies decide what—and whom—to trust.ABOUT LOLA AKAPOLola Akapo has spent nearly a decade inside mRNA vaccine and biologics programs, where she saw firsthand how brilliant science and fragmented narratives can prevent early-stage teams from communicating their impact effectively.She is the founder of Benchtop to Boardroom, a consulting practice focused on helping biotech organizations build the internal scientific literacy infrastructure needed to communicate clearly with boards, regulators, manufacturers, investors, advocacy groups, and eventually the public. Her work helps early-stage teams align around a shared understanding of their mission, impact, and scientific story.LINKSLola Akapo (LinkedIn)https://www.linkedin.com/in/damilola-akapo/Benchtop to Boardroom Websitehttps://benchtoptoboardroom.com/Benchtop to Boardroom Substackhttps://benchtoptoboardroom.substack.com/Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/benchtoptoboardroom/Learn more about Lola's consulting work, speaking engagements, and scientific communication resources through the links above.