Building prevention research science communication and knowledge translation capacity through multidisciplinary collaboration

Shaan Naughton; Konsita Kuswara; Ainsley Burgess; Helen Dinmore; Cindy Jones; Karen Metcalfe; Heidi Turon; Helen Signy

doi:10.1071/phrp3412409

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Building prevention research science communication and knowledge translation capacity through multidisciplinary collaboration

Shaan Naughton ^A ^* , Konsita Kuswara ^B , Ainsley Burgess ^C , Helen Dinmore ^D , Cindy Jones ^C , Karen Metcalfe ^C , Heidi Turon ^E ^F and Helen Signy ^C

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A 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

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

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

^D UniSA Business, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia

^E School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia

^F NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence, National Centre of Implementation Science, University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia

^* Correspondence to: shaan.naughton@deakin.edu.au

Public Health Research and Practice 34, e3412409 https://doi.org/10.17061/phrp3412409

Published: 4 April 2024

2024 © Naughton 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

Objective: To document the outcomes of a dedicated Science Communication Community of Practice (CoP) for increasing prevention-focused knowledge translation (KT) and evidence uptake. Type of program: Shared priorities and a united vision to communicate the value of prevention research led to the formation of a dedicated Science Communication CoP within an Australian public health prevention-focused research collaboration. Members of the CoP included science communication experts and early- and mid-career researchers (EMCRs) with KT-focused roles. Methods: The CoP met monthly, with semi-structured meetings led by an experienced science communication professional. A priority of the CoP was to develop resources that could help members and external parties to communicate their findings, especially EMCRs and those working on low-resourced projects. Insights from CoP members were synthesised to document if, and how, the CoP increased communication and KT capacity. Results: CoP members found that participatory dialogue – dialogue that involves sharing perspectives and listening to others in order to develop a shared understanding - helped promote a greater understanding of science communication techniques and led to KT being embedded within projects. The CoP itself resulted in shared narratives and communication outputs that could not have been produced by individual members, primarily due to a lack of dedicated resourcing. Members found that engaging in the CoP increased their use of a range of science communication skills, tactics, and methods (e.g., targeted messaging for policy and practice, use of media and social media, and event management to engage audiences and build trust). Lessons learnt: The CoP helped build a greater working knowledge of science communication among its members, leading to increased KT activities. Within an environment of low resourcing for science communication, bringing researchers together with science communication experts can help promote the communication of synthesised evidence and unified messaging on ‘what works for prevention’.