Bridging the gap from research to practice: the role of a Researcher-in-Residence

Ensuring research is relevant, timely and impactful is important for tackling complex public health challenges, such as creation of healthy environments. The Researcher-in-Residence approach is being used within the TRUUD project (‘Tackling Root causes Upstream of Unhealthy Urban Development’) as a way to bridge between research and practice and support intervention development, implementation and evaluation for healthier place-making.
This presentation describes the approach taken by TRUUD’s Researcher-in-Residence in Bristol City Council (Oct 2020 – present). By being embedded within the council’s Regeneration team, with close links to Planning Policy and Public Health teams, she is able to understand the complex system of urban development decision-making. This has helped to identify opportunities for co-created interventions involving City Council officers and the wider TRUUD research team.
The Bristol Researcher-in-Residence will describe her role in the three interventions that are underway with Bristol City Council: 1 - Integrating health into the local plan, to support creation of healthier urban planning policies that will guide urban development decisions; 2 - Using health evidence to influence creation of a spatial regeneration framework for a deprived area of Bristol where over a thousand new homes will be built; 3 - Supporting meaningful public involvement in urban development, so the needs and wants of local people are heard.
The Researcher-in-Residence role itself is a complex intervention and helps to provide public health skills and knowledge to urban development practitioners. Reflecting on this role provides insights into its benefits and challenges, including how to extend impact across other contexts.