Who are we?

We are a group of researchers, artists and clinicians with expertise in knowledge translation, consumer community involvement and the arts. We emphasize the importance of a collaborative approach to healthcare to address the issue of the research-to-practice gap. To do so, we look at meaningful ways of involving consumers and those with lived experience from the very beginning of any research project, to ensure that knowledge is shared using innovative methods, including the arts and creative design. 

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Did you know that it takes 17 years before research amounts to practice? We want to change that.

Most research projects fail to include key stakeholders, including patients and consumers, in the design, creation and dissemination of the work. We include key stakeholders from the outset, with a co-design and co-creation focus. 

Why do you focus on the arts when you're trying to explain science? The arts can communicate intimate experience beyond words, through performative, literary and visual means. It draws on all of our sense to communicate information. 

"Our objective is to create 'champions' of knowledge translation within SPHERE, and beyond, to think about the ways in which the arts can share transformative knowledge"

How do you use the arts to translate health research? We have an incredible artist-in-residence program that work with our clinical academic groups within SPHERE to identify their 'pockets of brilliance', and the ways in which their expertise can assist those researchers translate their work.

What is knowledge translation?

Knowledge translation (KT) is both a multidimensional concept and an emerging discipline that examines methods and mechanisms to close the gap between what we know and what we do. It is a dynamic and iterative process that involves synthesis, dissemination, exchange, and ethically-sound use of knowledge to improve healthcare. 

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The notion of KT encompasses engagement, rather than purely one-way communication, between researchers and a range of knowledge makers and users, including (but not limited to): policymakers, health service managers, practitioners, educators, consumers of health services, carers, and the public. By determining the needs and preferences of potential knowledge makers and users, it is possible to develop effective and efficient ways to research, learn, and improve healthcare.

"Did you know that only half of all academic papers are actually read by anyone other than the authors themselves. Of all the articles published, 90% are never cited"