It is generally agreed that it can take more than 15 years for research evidence to reach clinical practice. The AOD Provider Collaborative is committed to closing this gap by offering opportunities for its workforce to learn about current projects and consider opportunities to initiate research themselves.
Since 2014, in partnership with the University of Auckland’s Centre for Addiction Research, the AOD Provider Collaborative has presented an annual research symposium 'Translating Research into Practice' to provide practitioners with an access point to some of the latest research in the field, with a particular focus on the clinical relevance of this research to inform practice. IN 2016 and 2017, we were fortunate to also have the opportunity to also partner with the Counties Manukau Mental Health and Addictions Partnership (CHAMP) and expanded the programme to include mental health research of interest to people working within the addictions and mental health sectors.
Practitioners are given the opportunity to learn about the research process and are encouraged to build links with academic researchers. Together with colleagues, they consider how the evidence presented might support practice initiatives.
Plenary sessions in 2014 and 2015 - by keynote speakers Professor Des Gorman, Chair, Health Workforce NZ (2014) and Professor Ann Roche, Director, National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA), Flinders University, Australia (2015) - set the scene and provided a macro-level context for the importance of evidence to inform policy.
In 2016, we welcomed Dr Ingrid Burkett, Managing Director of Knode and Director, Learning & Systems Design, The Australian Centre for Social Innovation, Australia, as keynote to speak about Co-design and how this can be used to transform outcomes in social services.
In 2017, we were fortunate to offer two keynote speakers: Dr Jack Noone, Centre for Social Impact, Australia on Social Outcome Measurement, and Professor Suzanne Fraser, National Drug Research Institute, on Rethinking Addiction: Promoting understanding and reducing stigma.
Each year participants are able to choose from a range of breakout sessions, including: population studies and cultural approaches, consumer and peer support developments, practitioner care, new interventions and technological innovations.
