Abstract
Nursing research often presents a disconnect between academic inquiry and the immediate needs of frontline clinical practice. Funding cycles can delay addressing emergent patient care challenges, and academically driven research questions may not always yield direct, value-added solutions for nursing workflows. To mitigate this gap, we initiated a novel program designed to foster collaboration between academic researchers and frontline clinical staff, facilitated by a clinically-based nurse scientist.
This initiative strategically brings academics to the point of care to gain firsthand insights into pressing clinical problems, and conversely, convenes clinical experts with academic counterparts to articulate real-world research priorities. This collaborative model empowers academic researchers to pursue funding for translational studies that are relevant and impactful. It ensures that research programs, including the development of new devices aimed at improving patient outcomes, are co-created with nurses, to complement their existing workflows.
A key enabler of this success is the pivotal role of a clinically-based nurse scientist, who serves as a vital liaison between the health system and academic institution. This individual champions the frontline nursing voice, ensuring it informs research questions and design. For instance, a school of nursing faculty who is an engineer, sought to study pressure injury causes with a goal of developing early detection technologies partnered with a nurse scientist. This led to direct engagement with healthcare wound care nurses, whose insights shaped grant proposals and pilot studies, including a funded R01 study. Regular meetings with frontline staff are now a core component of these grants, guaranteeing that innovations are genuinely value-added and seamlessly integrated.
Through this initiative, we have learned that direct, early, and iterative engagement with frontline nurses is paramount for identifying relevant research questions and ensuring practical applicability, as co-creation of research ensures solutions enhance, not hinder, workflow. This partnership model significantly accelerates translational research, leading to evidence-based solutions that directly address clinical needs and improve patient outcomes. The implications are clear: this integrated approach effectively closes the research-to-practice gap, fostering a culture where research directly informs and improves patient care and nursing practice.
Notes
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References:
Watkins, S., & Rappleyea, M. (2024). Improvement opportunities for the achievement of reciprocal nursing academic-practice partnerships. Journal of Professional Nursing, 51, 97-100.
Sigma Membership
Alpha Epsilon
Lead Author Affiliation
Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Academic-Clinical Partnership, Translational Research, Interprofessional Relations, Nursing Research, Theory-Practice Relationship
Recommended Citation
Bouvier, Monique and Sonenblum, Sharon, "Fostering Translational Nursing Research Through Academic-Health System Partnerships" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 298.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/presentations_2026/298
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-09-24
Fostering Translational Nursing Research Through Academic-Health System Partnerships
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Nursing research often presents a disconnect between academic inquiry and the immediate needs of frontline clinical practice. Funding cycles can delay addressing emergent patient care challenges, and academically driven research questions may not always yield direct, value-added solutions for nursing workflows. To mitigate this gap, we initiated a novel program designed to foster collaboration between academic researchers and frontline clinical staff, facilitated by a clinically-based nurse scientist.
This initiative strategically brings academics to the point of care to gain firsthand insights into pressing clinical problems, and conversely, convenes clinical experts with academic counterparts to articulate real-world research priorities. This collaborative model empowers academic researchers to pursue funding for translational studies that are relevant and impactful. It ensures that research programs, including the development of new devices aimed at improving patient outcomes, are co-created with nurses, to complement their existing workflows.
A key enabler of this success is the pivotal role of a clinically-based nurse scientist, who serves as a vital liaison between the health system and academic institution. This individual champions the frontline nursing voice, ensuring it informs research questions and design. For instance, a school of nursing faculty who is an engineer, sought to study pressure injury causes with a goal of developing early detection technologies partnered with a nurse scientist. This led to direct engagement with healthcare wound care nurses, whose insights shaped grant proposals and pilot studies, including a funded R01 study. Regular meetings with frontline staff are now a core component of these grants, guaranteeing that innovations are genuinely value-added and seamlessly integrated.
Through this initiative, we have learned that direct, early, and iterative engagement with frontline nurses is paramount for identifying relevant research questions and ensuring practical applicability, as co-creation of research ensures solutions enhance, not hinder, workflow. This partnership model significantly accelerates translational research, leading to evidence-based solutions that directly address clinical needs and improve patient outcomes. The implications are clear: this integrated approach effectively closes the research-to-practice gap, fostering a culture where research directly informs and improves patient care and nursing practice.
Description
A novel program closes the gap between academic nursing research and frontline clinical needs by fostering direct, co-creative partnerships.
Facilitated by a clinically-based nurse scientist, the initiative brings researchers to the point of care and clinical experts to academia. This ensures research questions, like those for pressure injury studies, are clinically relevant and result in solutions (devices, programs) that enhance, not burden, nursing workflows.