Communicating and disseminating research

How do we make sure the results of research studies reach the people who can act on them? Jenni Burt discusses the challenge with Andrew Ibrahim, surgeon at the University of Michigan, and with James Piercy, Communications and Engagement Officer at the John Innes Centre in Norwich. They explore how the output of healthcare improvement studies reaches diverse audiences, including policymakers, academics, frontline healthcare staff, and patients.

About our guests

Andrew M. Ibrahim MD, MSc is an Assistant Professor of Surgery, Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan.  He was the first Creative Director for the journal, Annals of Surgery, where he founded the #VisualAbstract, a novel visual technique to disseminate research. The technique has been adopted by more 100 journals and now serves as an editor at the JAMA Network. He is also the chief medical officer in the healthcare practice at HOK, a global design and architecture firm. His interests include evaluating population level strategies to improve healthcare delivery and in applying architecture and design to improve population health.  

James Piercy is Communications and Engagement Officer at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, a freelance science communicator and member of THIS Institute’s Engagement and Involvement Advisory Board. He is interested in bringing complex science to audiences of all ages, which includes training and mentoring scientists to develop their communications skills, and writing, producing, and delivering science workshops.