National Medical Research Council Research Symposium (27 and 28 April 2023)

Associate Professor Ding Yew Yoong, Executive Director, GERI and Joint Faculty, Dr Sharon Straus, Director of the Knowledge Translation Program, St Michael’s Hospital were invited to share their expertise at the National Medical Research Council (NMRC) Awards Ceremony and Research Symposium 2023. The annual event was organised by NMRC and the Ministry of Health, Singapore with local and international researchers and scientists in attendance.

Speaking at a concurrent session, Associate Professor Ding discussed the pervasive phenomenon of the research-to-practice gap. Factors, such as those relating to the external context, organisation, profession and intervention, could exacerbate this gap and lead to a diminished impact of the research on practice and people’s lives.

To avert this outcome for GERI, he outlined a three-part strategy. Pivotal to this was GERI’s Knowledge Translation Framework and its four nodes of knowledge creation, dissemination, exchange and implementation. Research activities are also carefully calibrated so that evidence is created in the T3 (to practice) translational stage and implementation science concepts are applied. 

Associate Professor Ding identified two ongoing research projects – prescribing for older people with multi-morbidity, and an evaluation of the Geriatric Services Hub programme for frail older adults – as exemplars of how GERI’s strategy has worked to boost the incorporation of the Institute’s evidence-based research outcomes into practice.

In addition to her keynote speech on mitigating COVID-19 and promoting wellness in congregate living settings, Dr Straus also led a session on co-creating research with knowledge users, with a focus on older adults and their caregivers. Co-creation, Dr Straus emphasised, reduces waste and inefficiency in research. Strategies for engaging older adults in the research process also needed to be developed with them as partners, grounded in principles of establishing trust.

Visit the NMRC website to view the slides from their respective presentations.