Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #117398

Amy D. Kyle, PhD MPH and Martyn T. Smith, PhD. Environmental Health Sciences, University of California Berkeley, School of Public Health, 140 Warren Hall MC 7360, EHS, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, 510 642 8847, adkyle@berkeley.edu

Both medicine and public health recognize the importance of translating technical and scientific information into forms that are useful in informing practice. Research within medicine focuses on moving practice to reflect current research. Within public health, the amount of attention devoted to competencies and approaches needed to translate scientific information and research findings into forms that can inform practice and public policy varies among the different disciplines. Within the area of environmental health, translation is not considered to be a core competency. We propose a four-part approach to translating both scientific knowledge and current research findings into forms and formats that are accessible and relevant to both government agency audiences and lay audiences. The four elements of this approach include: (1) Organization of communication between experts in technical disciplines and policy audiences on important questions of interpretation of science in policy contexts in ways that facilitate two-way communication; (2) Development of analyses of the implications of key lines of research for both scientific understanding and practice, using methods that are iterative and that reflect the needs and interests of technical experts, policy audiences, and lay audiences; (3) Assessment of the gaps between scientific knowledge and practice in targeted areas; and (4) Direct translation of immediate research findings into forms understandable to policy and lay audiences using innovative presentation methods. It may be appropriate to consider the expertise and skills needed to implement such approaches as an area of competency relevant to the field of environmental health sciences.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to explain the concept of translation, identify the range of approaches to translation that have been developed within the fields of medicine and public health, describe four elements that may contribute to effective translation of scientific information relevant to the field of environmental health for policy audiences, and discuss considerations relevant to whether skills that contribute to translation might be appropriate to consider as additional areas of competency within the discipline of environmental health.

Keywords: Environmental Health, Policy/Policy Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.