Research to Practice: Translation in Public Health Systems and Services Research

Please complete an evaluation of this seminar once you have finished viewing the presentation.

Presentation Slides

PDF of All Slides

Course Level: 101 (Introductory)

Duration: 90 minutes

Overview: For research to influence the practice of public health, its findings must be relevant for those in the field. Designing research questions in partnership with practitioners, who have their pulse on public health's most pressing needs, can help ensure relevance. Similarly, conducting research with practice partners, and sharing findings with those who can use them, supports the implementation of evidence-based and innovative public health practice.

As the field of Public Health Systems and Services Research (PHSSR) grows, it must adopt methods and strategies to translate findings in a way that resonates with key stakeholders, particularly those who conduct the business of public health.

This seminar focuses on two examples of translation in PHSSR. William Riley, Ph.D., associate dean for the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota, will discuss his work developing a pilot program to expand the use of continuous quality improvement (CQI) principles to public health agencies, with a focus on reducing health disparities. Danielle Varda, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado, will discuss her research examining partnerships in public health. In response, the researcher's practice partners will discuss their experience working with the investigators, describe the research's relevance for the field, and give suggestions for translating findings.

System Requirements: The latest version of Adobe Flash Player is required to view on-demand seminars. Download Adobe Flash Player for free.

Faculty Bios:

William Riley, Ph.D., is associate dean in the School of Public Heath at the University of Minnesota. He specializes in the area of quality improvement, patient safety, and public health accreditation. Dr. Riley has over 20 years experience as a senior health care executive and has held the position of president and CEO of several health care organizations, including an integrated delivery system; a large multi-specialty medical group; and a health plan joint venture. He has had extensive experience developing and implementing numerous process improvement initiatives and is currently Chair of the Public Health Accreditation Board. Dr. Riley has worked with over 200 health departments to implement QI methods and techniques. He has also written over 40 articles in scientific journals regarding quality and safety and co-authored a book on QI in Public Health.

Danielle M. Varda, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver, with a secondary appointment in the Colorado School of Public Health in the Department of Health Systems, Management, and Policy. She specializes in collaborative management and policy networks, focusing specifically in public health systems and services research. Her research focus is on evaluating the network structure of collaborations between the public, private, and nonprofit sectors and the subsequent network affects of these recorded interactions. She has developed models and methods of network measurement, for example she has developed a research model for measuring social capital by evaluating the network structure of local community networks, including developing questionnaires and analysis of diverse network data. In addition, with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, she has recently developed a software tool (PARTNER) that allows public health departments to measure and monitor their collaborative activity over time. She is an experienced interviewer, facilitator, and has extensive experience developing and administering surveys.

Julia R. Ruschmann began her career in public health as the Tobacco Prevention Coordinator at the Bay County Health Department (Florida) in 2000. She led a team of adults and students in tobacco prevention efforts that resulted in a significant reduction of youth tobacco initiation and usage rates. In 2002, the health department created the Community Projects division and Ms. Ruschmann was chosen to lead the growth and expansion of this new department. The success of the Community Projects department has been in great part due to effective community partnerships. Ms. Ruschmann graduated from the University of West Florida with a BA in psychology. Her 25 plus years of work experience includes case management, health promotion and education, program development, communications and community relations. She is currently the Community Projects Director at the Bay County Health Department.


Kim Gearin is a Research Scientist in the Office of Performance Improvement at the Minnesota Department of Health, and Co-Director of Minnesota’s Public Health Practice Based Research Network. During eighteen years of public health experience, Dr. Gearin has coordinated and directed research and evaluation activities within state, regional and local practice settings.

Please check back for updates on new online training opportunities. For more information or to sign up for notification about new opportunities please contact AcademyHealth or call 202.292.6700.