Some personal reflections on trans-disciplinary research

for better population health & wellbeing

Kevin P Balanda Institute of Public Health in Ireland

www.publichealth.ie

Creative Connections in Horizon 2012 Workshop

11 February 2014

About my work

• Pure mathematics (infinite cardinals)

• Applied Statistics

• Epidemiologist in state health department

• Biostatistician in applied behavioural intervention research

• Population health, health inequalities and the social determinants of health

Horizon 2020:

• “Research and Innovation to boost growth & jobs … ”

• "Health, Demographic Change and Wellbeing" societal challenge”

• “Science with and for Society” programme

HRB’s mission is “to improve people’s health, patient care and health service delivery by … “

Healthy Ireland’s vision: An Ireland “where everyone can enjoy physical and mental health and wellbeing to their full potential, …”

Population health & wellbeing & Horizon 2020

Complex public health issues require System-wide solutions based on Trans-disciplinary research

Economic cost of obesity (led by HRB’s CHDR):

• Descriptive study involving clinicians, epidemiologists, health service managers, economists, mathematicians and statisticians , demographers

• Working together to combine a wide range of inputs into an agreed economic model and interpret results

Food choice workshop (with HRB’s CHDR & CoEfPH (NI)):

• Social scientists and econometricians in UCC & QUB

• Different methodologies from two research traditions

• Possible collaborative research projects

Using “big data” for non-communicable disease surveillance

What determines the food choices we make? Lessons from health economics and life stories perspectives

Some trans-disciplinary research studies

Many disciplinary, professional, personal, organisational, financial, cultural, social and political barriers "Systems models" of knowledge translation with knowledge co-coproduction integrated into organisations and systems Dissemination and Implementation Requiring genuine engagement with policy makers, practitioners, industry and the community For example;

• IPH funded by the two departments of health on the island

• IPH is a formal partner in HRB’s CHDR and CoEfPH (NI)

• Joint Knowledge Translation Officers • Building research and evaluation capacity in

the community and voluntary sector

Research to population health outcomes

Need to understand connections between the determinants of health and wellbeing, and mobilise them into effective systems-wide solutions

This requires meaningful engagement and collaboration with others who bring different perspectives

We are not necessarily good at this nor are our institutions necessarily set up to support such engagement

Direct support is needed:

• Address significant barriers

• Training / facilitation in effective collaboration

• Build research and evaluation capacity amongst policy makers, practitioners and the community

1. More systematic support for collaboration

Trans-disciplinary research involves working with different types of knowledge:

• From research, routine data, experience

• Quantitative and qualitative methods

• Academic and “grey” literature

• Tacit (unwritten) Useful to bring these knowledge/information resources together. Such integrated” information can:

• Place research in its policy & practice context

• Support cross-disciplinary learning and engagement

• Facilitate knowledge co-production

Websites with “integrated” information www.thehealthwell.info

2. More accessible “integrated” information

• Population health impacts and equity implications of new technologies

• Development of effective community and policy trials interventions

• Management of multi-morbidities

• Dissemination and Implementation Sciences •

• “Systems” thinkers

• Knowledge synthesis techniques

• Techniques for trans-disciplinary collaboration

Exciting opportunities for Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

3. Further population health / health services research

“Health and wellbeing” important inHorizon 2020 Complex public health issues

Require systems-wide solutions Based on trans-disciplinary research

Population impacts also require a focus of knowledge translation

Amongst other things, I believe this:

• Focus on more systematically supporting collaboration

• More accessible “integrated” information

• New population health / health services research

Trans-disciplinary research is the cornerstone of population health; it’s rewarding, challenging and sometimes frustrating.

Conclusion

Thank you for your

attention

kevin.balanda@publichealth.ie

www.publichealth.ie