Community-Academic Workshop on Translating Research Findings into Policy Briefs for Broader Dissemination

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Policy
• Translational Research

Background:

• Health equity research often fails to translate findings into actionable policy or practice changes.
• A gap exists between research outcomes and their dissemination to relevant stakeholders.
• Policy briefs offer a method for researchers to communicate findings to policymakers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the evidence-policy gap by training researchers and community partners on creating policy briefs.
• To enhance the translation of health equity research into impactful policy and practice.

Main Methods:

• A 2-hour interactive policy brief workshop was delivered to researchers, staff, and community organizations.
• A case example involving a community-government-academic-partnered research report was used to revise dissemination strategies into a policy brief format.

Main Results:

• The workshop had diverse participation (N=215) with strong interest in research translation.
• Survey results highlighted a significant need for training in translating research for policy impact, especially in multisector health equity partnerships.
• Multimedia dissemination strategies are crucial for timely impact.

Conclusions:

• Effective evidence-based policy and practice linkages require enhanced training for researchers and partners.
• Training should focus on policy-relevant research design and dissemination strategies.