In this episode of PRIM&R's podcast, "Research Ethics Reimagined," we speak with Dr. Josh Fessel about trust in science, translational medicine, and the challenges facing federal research. Dr. Fessel is a physician scientist who most recently served as chief medical officer and director of the Office of Translational Medicine in the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences at NIH. He discusses lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, ethical considerations in AI implementation, and his decision to leave federal service when directives conflicted with his values as a physician and researcher.