Register      Login
Public Health Research and Practice Public Health Research and Practice Society
The peer-reviewed journal of the Sax Institute
RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Supporting the next generation of prevention research leaders to conduct effective research-policy partnerships

Briony Hill A * , Lucie Rychetnik B C , Meghan Finch D E F , Shaan Naughton G , Alix Hall D E F , Konsita Kuswara H , Vicki Brown I , Cheryce Harrison J and Helen Skouteris A K
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Health and Social Care Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

B Menzies Centre for Health Policy and Economics, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, NSW, Australia

C The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre, Sax Institute, NSW, Australia

D School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia

E NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence, National Centre of Implementation Science, Newcastle, NSW, Australia

F Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI), Newcastle, NSW, Australia

G Institute for Health Transformation, Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition, School of Health and Social Development, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia

H The Centre of Research Excellence in Translating Early Prevention of Obesity in Childhood (CRE EPOCH-Translate), Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia

I Deakin Health Economics, Institute for Health Transformation, School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia

J Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

K Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, UK

* Correspondence to: briony.hill@monash.edu

Public Health Research and Practice 34, e3412402 https://doi.org/10.17061/phrp3412402
Published: 4 April 2024

2024 © Hill et al. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence, which allows others to redistribute, adapt and share this work non-commercially provided they attribute the work and any adapted version of it is distributed under the same Creative Commons licence terms.

Abstract

Successful research-policy partnerships rely on shared vision, dedicated investment, and mutual benefits. To ensure the ongoing value of chronic disease prevention research, and support research translation and impact, Australia needs funding, university, and policy systems that incentivise and support emerging leaders to drive effective partnerships.

References

Australian Department of Health. National Preventive Health Strategy 2021–2030. Canberra: Australian Government; 2023 [cited 2023 Oct 03]. Available from: www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2021/12/national-preventive-health-strategy-2021-2030_1.pdf

Swinburn BA, Kraak VI, Allender S, Atkins VJ, Baker PI, Bogard JR. The global syndemic of obesity, undernutrition, and climate change: The Lancet Commission report. The Lancet. 2019;393(10173):791–846. Crossref | PubMed

Faghy MA, Whitsel L, Arena R, Smith A, Ashton RE. A united approach to promoting healthy living behaviours and associated health outcomes: a global call for policymakers and decisionmakers. J Public Health Policy. 2023;44:285–99. Crossref | PubMed

Hoekstra F, Mrklas KJ, Khan M, McKay RC, Vis-Dunbar M, Sibley KM, et al. A review of reviews on principles, strategies, outcomes and impacts of research partnerships approaches: a first step in synthesising the research partnership literature. Health Res Policy Syst. 2020;18(51):23. Crossref | PubMed

Williamson A, Tait H, Jarjali FE, Wolfenden L, Thackway S, Stewart J, et al. How are evidence generation partnerships between researchers and policy-makers enacted in practice? A qualitative interview study. Health Res Policy Syst. 2019;17(41):11. Crossref | PubMed

Wutzke S, Rowbotham S, Haynes A, Hawe P, Kelly P, Redman S, et al. Knowledge mobilisation for chronic disease prevention: the case of The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre. Health Res Policy Syst. 2018;16(109):17. Crossref | PubMed

Evans, M.C., Cvitanovic, C. An introduction to achieving policy impact for early career researchers. Palgrave Commun. 2018;4:88. Crossref

The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre. A partnership approach to chronic disease prevention. Sydney: The Sax Institute; 2023 [cited 2023 Oct 03]. Available from: preventioncentre.org.au/

The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre. Collaboration for Enhanced Research Impact (CERI). Sydney: The Sax Institute; 2023 Oct [cited 2023 Oct 03]. Available from:preventioncentre.org.au/work/collaboration-for-enhanced-research-impact-ceri/

10  van der Graaf P, Kislov R, Smith H, Langley J, Hamer N, Cheetham M, et al. Leading co-production in five UK collaborative research partnerships (2008–2018): responses to four tensions from senior leaders using auto-ethnography. Implement Sci. 2023;4(12):15. Crossref | PubMed

11  Williams C, Pettman T, Goodwin-Smith I, Tefera YM, Hanifie S, Baldock K. Experiences of research-policy engagement in policy-making processes. Public Health Res Practice. 2024; 34(1):e33232308. Crossref | PubMed

12  Erismann S, Pesantes M, Beran D, Leuenberger A, Farnham A, Gonzalez de White MB, et al. How to bring research evidence into policy? Synthesizing strategies of five research projects in low-and middle-income countries. Health Res Policy Syst. 2021;19(29):13. Crossref | PubMed

13  The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre. Lessons from a decade of The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre. Sydney: The Sax Institute; 2023 Oct [cited 2023 Oct 03]. Available from: preventioncentre.org.au/resources/lessons-from-a-decade-ofthe-australian-prevention-partnership-centre/

14  Collaboration for Enhanced Research Impact. Submission on improving alignment and coordination between the Medical Research Future Fund and Medical Research Endowment Account. Sydney, Australia: The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre; 2023 [cited 2023 Oct 03]. Available from: preventioncentre.org.au/resources/submission-on-improving-alignment-and-coordination-between-mrff-and-mrea/

15  National Health and Medical Research Council. Recognised research translation centres. Canberra: Australian Government; 2023 [cited 2023 Oct 3]. Available from: www.nhmrc.gov.au/research-policy/research-translation/recognised-research-translation-centres

16  Irving MJ, Pescud M, Howse E, Haynes A, Rychetnik L. Developing a systems thinking guide for enhancing knowledge mobilisation in prevention research. Public Health Res Pract. 2023;33(2):e32232212. Crossref | PubMed

17  The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre. MRFF Boosting Preventive Health Research Program. Syndey: The Sax Institute; 2019 Mar [cited 2024 Feb 22]. Available from: preventioncentre.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/MRFF_boosting_preventive_Program_FINAL.pdf

18  Wolfenden L, Yoong S, Wiliams CM, Durrheim DN, Gillham K, Wiggers J. Embedding researchers in health service organizations improves research translation and health service performance: the Australian Hunter New England Population Health example. J Clin Epidemiol. 2017;85:3–11. Crossref | PubMed