1. Knowledge Translation in Canada: The Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research as a Case Study Raymond W. Pong, PhD Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research Laurentian University Ontario, Canada Beijing, China; 06-09-2014

2. 2 Health Research in Canada According to Statistics Canada, in 2009, Canada spent close to (Can.) $6.4 billion on research in the health field But what do Canadians get from such substantial investments in health research? For health research to have social and health impact, research results must reach the right people and be transformed into decisions, policies, clinical practices, pharmaceuticals, equipment, etc. Knowledge translation (KT) plays an important role in this process

3. 3 CRaNHR as a Case Study KT activities of the Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research (CRaNHR) are used as a case study

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5. 5 CRaNHR as a Case Study KT activities of the Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research (CRaNHR) are used as a case study CRaNHR is a research centre at Laurentian University, Ontario, Canada; it was established in 1992 It does research on the health of residents in rural areas, small towns, and northern regions of Canada and the delivery of health care to those people CRaNHR’s research focus is not on HTA, but its work on KT may shed some light on how research can influence decision-making in the health field

6. 6 Academic Publications Are Not Enough! At first we thought publishing our research findings in journals was all we had to do in knowledge dissemination

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8. 8 Academic Publications Are Not Enough! At first we thought publishing our research findings in journals was all we had to do in knowledge dissemination But most of those who read our publications were fellow academics and researchers We were not reaching government officials, health practitioners, and other decision-makers This realization forced CRaNHR to seriously reconsider its KT strategy

9. 9 A Multidimensional KT Strategy CRaNHR’s KT strategy took many years to develop through trial and error The strategy had several approaches: addressing different needs, audiences, and circumstances The following describes some of CRaNHR’s KT activities

10. 10 1. The CRaNHR Website (www.cranhr.ca)www.cranhr.ca A website can reach many people all over the world and is the most convenient and economical way to disseminate information

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12. 12 1. The CRaNHR Website (www.cranhr.ca)www.cranhr.ca A website can reach many people all over the world and is the most convenient and economical way to disseminate information We post our activities, research results, publications on CRaNHR’s website, which is updated regularly The website publicizes the work of CRaNHR and serves as a means of knowledge dissemination In the past 5 years, www.cranhr.ca received an average of 7,500 visits per year

13. 13 2. “FOCUS” Few government officials, health practitioners, and other decision-makers read academic publications, mostly because of lack of time and heavy workload CRaNHR produces a publication series called “FOCUS”

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15. 15 2. “FOCUS” Few government officials, health practitioners, and other decision-makers read academic publications, mostly because of lack of time and heavy workload CRaNHR produces a publication series called “FOCUS” Each FOCUS is a 4-page summary of a research study and its major findings and policy implications, written in layman’s language for the general public

16. 16 3. Sharing CRaNHR’s Publications We send our reports, publications, and FOCUSes to the Ontario Ministry of Health and other interested organizations and individuals We know that our works are read by some Ministry of Health officials

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19. 19 3. Sharing CRaNHR’s Publications We send our reports, publications, and FOCUSes to the Ontario Ministry of Health and other interested organizations and individuals We know that our works are read by some Ministry of Health officials What we do not know is the extent to which our work influences decision-making

20. 20 4. New Ways to Disseminate Research CRaNHR tries new ways to reach more people, especially those who do not follow academic research For example, we cooperated with film-makers to produce a documentary film titled “Lost in the Woods” based on our research on mental health in rural areas

21. 21 http://www.cranhr.ca/videos/LOSTwm8.wmv

22. 22 5. Training Students in KT Researchers may not know much about policy-making and even less about the role of research in policy-making Four “regional training centres” were established in Canada over 10 years ago to train graduate students in health services research The students also learned about policy formulation and KT One of the four regional training centres was the Ontario Training Centre in Health Services and Policy Research (OTC) and CRaNHR was actively involved in the OTC

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24. 24 5. Training Students in KT Researchers may not know much about policy-making and even less about the role of research in policy-making Four “regional training centres” were established in Canada over 10 years ago to train graduate students in health services research The students also learned about policy formulation and KT One of the four regional training centres was the Ontario Training Centre in Health Services and Policy Research (OTC) and CRaNHR was actively involved in the OTC We were trying to develop the next generation of health services researchers and researchers knowledgeable in KT

25. 25 6. Researchers as Advisors to Policy-makers The most important KT activity by CRaNHR is to be actively involved as advisors to policy-makers Some senior CRaNHR researchers have been invited to sit on committees and boards to provide input or to advise policy-makers. These include:  Ontario Ministry of Health  Canadian Institute for Health Information  World Health Organization

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27. 27 6. Researchers as Advisors to Policy-makers The most important KT activity by CRaNHR is to be actively involved as advisors to policy-makers Some senior CRaNHR researchers have been invited to sit on committees and boards to provide input or to advise policy-makers. These include:  Ontario Ministry of Health  Canadian Institute for Health Information  World Health Organization  Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada

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30. 30 6. Researchers as Advisors to Policy-makers The most important KT activity by CRaNHR is to be actively involved as advisors to policy-makers Some senior CRaNHR researchers have been invited to sit on committees and boards to provide input or to advise policy-makers. These include:  Ontario Ministry of Health  Canadian Institute for Health Information  World Health Organization  Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada This is where researchers can have the greatest influence on decision- and policy-making

31. 31 This is just a short introduction on what one research centre in Canada does in terms of KT I hope we can learn from one another’s experiences Thank you!