201686 Importance of policy relevant research

Sunday, November 8, 2009: 2:40 PM

Kathleen Noonan, JD , PolicyLab, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Despite the importance of evidence-based health policy, translating research into actionable policy remains a persistent problem. By engaging end-users (e.g. policymakers, community health professionals, etc.) in all stages of the research process, researchers can bridge this gap and increase the likelihood of sustainable results. In this session, we focus on defining evidence-based health policy and examine strategies to strengthen its incorporation into the research and policymaking processes. Barriers to achieving evidence-based health policy and tools for engaging community stakeholders in developing policy relevant research will be examined. Content will build on participants' field experiences and case examples by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's PolicyLab whose mission is engaging stakeholders at the front-end of the research process to ensure its policy impact.

Learning Objectives:
•Explain the importance of research designed with engagement of policymakers from the outset •Demonstrate how to frame a research question that actively considers the research’s policy impact •Evaluate the strengths and limitations of combining qualitative and quantitative research methodologies in helping inform public health policy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Kathleen Noonan is co-leading an effort to establish a cross-disciplinary research and policy center focused on child health policy at CHOP. She is also adjunct faculty for the Robert Wood Johnson Scholars Program at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining CHOP, Ms. Noonan was founding associate director of the Center for High Impact Philanthropy at the University of Pennsylvania where she worked to identify strategies, information, and tools to help philanthropists achieve greater social impact. Before this, Ms. Noonan spent seven years as a Senior Associate and Engagement Manager with Casey Strategic Consulting, the consulting arm of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. As the consulting group’s first member, Ms. Noonan was instrumental in bringing Casey’s expertise in state and local human service systems together with the best methods of private sector strategy consulting.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.