Understanding the Science-Practice Gap

Summary

The speaker, a community psychologist with a PH.D. from Michigan State University, emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in bridging the gap between science and practice. They discuss their experience at NIJ, where they learned about the role of research intermediaries in connecting researchers with practitioners. The speaker highlights the need to address internal and external science-practice gaps and the value of drawing from various disciplines to guide work effectively. They plan to apply these lessons in their future career, utilizing insights from team science, communications, and implementation science.

Takeaways

• 🎓 The speaker is a community psychologist with a Ph.D. from Michigan State University.
• 🌟 Community psychology is defined by its commitment to social justice and change, not specific areas.
• 🔗 The change requires interaction with individuals, organizations, systems, and communities to understand their needs.
• 🤝 The goal is to produce actionable research through partnerships and collaborations.
• 🔄 The speaker's background aligns with the National Institute of Justice's (NIJ) mission of bridging science and practice.
• 🛠️ The fellowship taught about research intermediaries, which connect researchers to practitioners.
• 💡 Intermediaries are organizations or individuals that mediate between research, policy, and practice.
• 🔍 The speaker learned to identify and address both internal and external science-practice gaps.
• 📚 Specialization leads to depth in one area but can create gaps in others, necessitating interdisciplinarity.
• 🧠 Interdisciplinarity is key to addressing internal gaps and guiding work across various disciplines.
• 🚀 The speaker will apply the importance of interdisciplinarity in their future career, drawing from various fields like team science, communications, and implementation science.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of community psychology?

Community psychology is defined by its commitment to social justice and change, requiring interaction with individuals, organizations, systems, and communities to understand their perspectives and needs.

How does community psychology aim to bridge the gap between research and practice?

Community psychology seeks to produce practice and policy-relevant research that is actionable through researcher-practitioner partnerships and community collaborations.

What is the role of NIJ's translation criminology mission?

NIJ's translation criminology mission is to bridge science and practice, ensuring that both practitioners and researchers benefit from each other's work.

What are research intermediaries and how do they function?

Research intermediaries are organizations or individuals that connect the world of research, policy, and practice, aiming to improve the processes of connecting researchers to practitioners.

Why is it important for research intermediaries to address their own internal science practice gaps?

Addressing internal science practice gaps is crucial as it ensures that the work done is guided by a wide range of disciplines, thus avoiding the limitation of expertise in a specific area.

What does the term 'science practice gaps' refer to in the context of the script?

Science practice gaps refer to the disconnection between science and practice where they aren't always communicating effectively, leading to a lack of integration between research findings and practical applications.

How can an organization or individual with deep expertise in a specific area avoid creating internal science practice gaps?

By committing to interdisciplinarity and drawing upon a wide range of disciplines to identify relevant theories, methods, and research to guide their work.

What impact did the speaker's fellowship at NIJ have on their understanding of interdisciplinarity?

The fellowship solidified the importance of interdisciplinarity for the speaker, influencing their approach to building research teams and collaborating with community partners.

How does the speaker plan to apply the concept of interdisciplinarity in their future work?

The speaker plans to draw on research from various fields such as team science, communications, and implementation science when building research teams, working with community partners, and ensuring the adoption and implementation of new ideas.

What is the significance of the speaker's background in community psychology for their work at NIJ?

The speaker's background in community psychology ties well with NIJ's mission, as it emphasizes the importance of social justice, change, and the bridging of science and practice.

How does the speaker's experience at NIJ influence their approach to future research and collaboration?

The experience at NIJ reinforced the importance of interdisciplinarity and the need to draw from various fields to guide research and ensure effective collaboration with diverse stakeholders.