May 2, 2018
Dr. Lilanta Bradley, a post-doctoral fellow with the Institute for Rural Health Research, participated in a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded symposium that brings together scholars from historically underrepresented groups working in fields that intersect with health and health care. The Institute for Rural Health Research is part of the College of Community Health Sciences. The New Connections Symposium Bradley attended, titled “From Research to Action: Taking Your Research Beyond the Journal,” was held in February at Drexel University in Philadelphia. The RWJF, the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted to public health, built the New Connections program to create a broad network of early career researchers interested in the foundation’s goal of building a national “culture of health” that enables everyone in society to lead healthier lives. New Connections currently supports a network of more than 900 underrepresented investigators, and through the symposium they are offered practical and meaningful ways to enrich their professional and research skills, advance their scholarship and build their careers. They learn from senior faculty, researchers and community leaders, build relationships and establish opportunities for collaboration. Bradley said she learned during the symposium how she can disseminate her research in actionable ways. She said she had always planned to translate into action her research around children, youth and adolescents but did not realize the different communications tactics available. “It’s (the symposium) given me a lot of thought about how to communicate my work, how to be more community engaged and how audiences are going to benefit,” she said. Bradley is now focused on sharing her research through social media and op-eds.
