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Harmonized Health Impact and Research Partnership Metrics to Accelerate Knowledge Sharing and Utilization Lab

What are the data problems that this Lab is working to solve?

Fundamental to addressing challenges affecting women, adolescents and children’s health (WACH) is the better creation, sharing and use of knowledge among all stakeholders. A more coordinated approach is required between the WACH community of practitioners and researchers to streamline evidence into NGO programming and to inform decision-makers.

Research partnerships must be carefully monitored and evaluated with an equity lens that considers the context of resource disparity. This can benefit civil society and academic collaborators to maximize data use and to reduce duplication. The use of tools developed for this purpose remains voluntary and there is no tracking mechanism in place to systematically collect and analyze data associated with the partnership process.

Key data issues:

  • Knowledge exchange isolated and scattered: Effective and timely sharing of knowledge acquired by Canadian global health organizations with their global partners would reduce duplication of efforts and provide clearer research gaps for more efficient channeling of research funds.
  • Data rich, exchange poor: A more comprehensive and integrated approach in traditionally siloed anglophone and francophone research communities is needed to foster collaboration and support real time informing of best WACH practices.
  • Connecting partnership metrics and impact: Currently there is no tracking mechanism in place to collect and analyze data associated with the partnership process.
  • Equity-level partnerships need data: Equity-centred partnerships hold greater potential for health impact and local development of capacity, yet outcome-level data for these partnerships from a Canadian WACH research investment are not available.
  • Bridging communities: A more comprehensive and integrated approach in traditionally siloed anglophone and francophone research communities is needed to foster collaboration and support real time informing of best WACH practices.

How are partners navigating this innovation?

  • Conducting key informant interviews with academic institutions, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) managers at NGOs etc. to identify concrete solutions that will foster greater collaboration on metrics and coordination in data collection and dissemination to strengthen intersectoral dialogue on WACH.
  • Baseline WACH metrics (reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent) currently used by academic and civil society members are being documented and validated. A representative set of case studies focused on WACH initiatives is being compiled to build on existing tools.
  • Metrics on capacity-building outcomes related to existing partnerships within Canadian academic networks (anglophone, francophone) is being collected and documented to better understand how action-oriented partnerships contribute to effective progress on WACH.
  • A partnership tool is being developed to address identified primary domains of a high quality and productive partnership.
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