Celebrating our 100th post!
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A couple years ago, we were lamenting our #KTfail — when we first launched our blog and weren’t able to keep up with the demands of our weekly publication schedule. Fast forward to today, where we’re celebrating our 100th post between our former Wordpress site and our cozy corner of the web on Medium.
The site has led to many great discussions both online and offline, and has proven to be a real icebreaker at conferences and events. But perhaps most importantly, it has served as a valuable resource for our clients, colleagues and students — reaching far more people than we’d ever be able to otherwise.
To commemorate the occasion, we’ve asked each of our regular contributors to reflect on some of their favourite posts and what they’re learned over the first 100 entries.
Kate Sibley
Director, Knowledge Translation, CHI
My favourite article:
The posts where I reflect on my personal experiences attempting to embed KT into my work are my favourites. Sometimes it feels like writing in a journal. Of these, the post where I discuss why I’m passionate about KT research is closest to home and my attempts to bring the practice and research worlds closer together. Sometimes I wonder if my views will be considered controversial, but I’m ok to debate ideas as this is what we need to move forward!
My favourite article that I didn’t write:
Trish Roche’s thought experiment on the function of knowledge brokers, which was highlighted by a colleague (Alison Hoens from the BC CIHR SPOR SUPPORT unit) in a national KT Canada webinar. So awesome to see her influence and the reach of the blog… now I’m lobbying Trish to work the post into a peer-reviewed submission!
What I enjoy most about the blog:
That it has given me a venue to explore ideas and issues in KT and implementation science that wouldn’t necessarily fit into a traditional academic journal, but that I see as critical points for discussion and debate in our growing field.
What I find most challenging about being a contributor:
The fast pace and high frequency at which we have challenged ourselves to write and produce, which is in stark contrast to the bulk of my experience writing peer-reviewed manuscripts.
Carly Leggett
Manager & Practice Lead, Knowledge Translation, CHI
My favourite article:
Any instalments about our KT team — we’ve evolved and changed so much over the years, it’s always good to step back and take a look at who makes up our world.
My favourite article that I didn’t write:
Trish’s take on Alternate Facts About KT — just the right amount of tongue in cheek humour, sprinkled with a lot of KT fact.
What I enjoy most about the blog:
The variety and scope of the articles. Each team member brings their own style and expertise to the writing and I think it gives the blog a ton of depth.
What I find most challenging about being a contributor:
Coming up with new article ideas every few weeks! Once I’ve got the idea, the writing is fun, but it’s finding that new, unique issue that I think people will be drawn to that stumps me from time to time
Carolyn Shimmin
Patient & Public Engagement Lead, Knowledge Translation, CHI
My favourite article:
Five Reasons Why We Need Trauma-Informed Intersectional Analysis in Patient & Public Engagement — mainly because this is an area of passion of mine — I think it is important to always bring a social justice and health equity lens to patient/public engagement in health research in order to ensure that ALL voices are being heard, and that we are creating safe and inclusive spaces for people to share their experiential knowledge. Of course, this means that health researchers and public partners need to be able to embrace critical reflexive practice and trauma-informed approaches in order to come together.
My favourite article that I didn’t write:
Decolonizing Community Engagement by Dr. Derek Kornelsen — because he writes about the importance of all health researchers having an understanding of the impact of past and present-day settler colonialism on Indigenous communities and Western academic/research institutions; as well as how a decolonized form of community engagement entails learning humility and recognizing the fact that Indigenous people know more about their own health and wellness than ‘expert’ non-Indigenous researchers do.
What I enjoy most about the blog:
I enjoy the diversity of perspectives that our contributors and guest bloggers bring forward, from the science of KT, the practice of KT, different types of KT tools and media, as well as different patient/public engagement approaches. I think there is an openness and honesty with our writers, kinda like a friend gently walking you through perhaps sometimes complex information in a way that doesn’t feel overwhelming.
What I find most challenging about being a contributor:
I can be verbose at times [Editor’s note: Carolyn’s never met a word count she won’t max out — but we still think she’s awesome], and get really excited about a subject matter, so I’ve learned that it’s better to break up one blog post into a couple of posts in order to allow readers to take their own time and digest the ideas, rather than drown in too many thoughts and concepts all at once. Definitely have had to learn about the magic of staying focused on one idea at a time.
Patrick Faucher
Strategic & Creative Services Lead, Knowledge Translation, CHI
My favourite article:
I loved writing KT Productivity hacks. We all lead busy lives — I’m a firm believer in continually seeking new ways to be more strategic in how you approach problems in order to be more productive and effective in your work. Work smarter, not harder.
My favourite article that I didn’t write:
Alternative Facts about Knowledge Translation. We normally have a content schedule we stick to rather closely, with articles planned well in advance. But the #AlternativeFacts viral movement was one we simply couldn’t ignore. The article does a great job at dispelling some of the myths we encounter in KT every day.
What I enjoy most about the blog:
Sometimes, I get so busy in my own work that I don’t always know what the rest of the team is up to. But with the blog, I feel like I learn something new from them every week. It’s also a great way to learn on my own terms — I’m not a big fan of seminars and conferences. The blog always meets me when it’s convenient for my schedule.
What I find most challenging about being a contributor:
Even on a six-week or two month rotation, it’s amazing how quickly your name comes back around. Blogging can take time — especially if you’re still trying to find your voice. But the tradeoff is your audience has the potential to be exponentially larger than what you could ever hope to draw in person.
Trish Roche
Knowledge Broker, CHI
My favourite article:
I really enjoyed doing the article mash-up and thought experiment with The Function of Knowledge Brokers — I was able to better define my role through day-to-day activities.
My favourite article that I didn’t write:
I love Pat’s KT Productivity Hacks because it has practical advice for creating and reusing content, which really helps when you’re continuously tailoring information for different contexts and end-users.
What I enjoy most about the blog:
As interim editor for the past year, definitely creating graphics and tweets to go along with the blogs, I love being able to get creative.
What I find most challenging about being a contributor:
Refining big ideas into blog-sized tidbits can be tough when so many concepts in KT and research are inter-related.
Leanne Dunne
Knowledge Broker, DEVOTION Network
My favourite article:
I like them all, they’re usually co-written with someone else. I really like hearing about other people’s perspectives and using stories as a way to learn and discover.
My favourite article that I didn’t write:
Decolonizing Community Engagement — the interplay between community engagement and decolonization flips a lot of norms and practices from western science on its head.
What I enjoy most about the blog:
As a KT practitioner, it’s helped me a lot as a resource. I recently facilitated an internal assessment for parent engagement with a research team and I was using the 8-part Patient Engagement Series a lot to frame what I wanted to say and to maintain consistency with what’s in line with current practice around patient-oriented research.
What I find most challenging about being a contributor:
Being creative. So much has been covered already, but people are usually very supportive when ideas are proposed.
Interested in becoming a contributor to KnowledgeNudge? We’re always looking for authors interested in topics like knowledge translation, knowledge tools and patient engagement — drop us a line on Twitter (@KnowledgeNudge)!
