Closing the Gap: Training Graduate Students to Translate Research into Social Work Practice

Translational science seeks to close the persistent gap between research discovery and practical application, accelerating the process by which evidence-based innovations are integrated into real-world settings to improve health and well-being (Faupel-Badger et al., 2022; Vogel et al., 2022; Vogel et al., 2023). Despite its promise, research shows that it takes an average of 17 years for scientific findings to be adopted in practice. This slow uptake is compounded by the historic exclusion of communities most impacted by research from the knowledge-creation and dissemination process (Hegyi et al., 2020; Donaldson et al., 2004).

To respond to this challenge and cultivate a more inclusive and impactful research approach, we developed a graduate-level training curriculum focused on research dissemination, translational strategies, and the application of evidence in behavioral and social work practice. This six-session curriculum introduces students to the foundations of ethical and rigorous research, including the history and role of Institutional Review Boards, principles of research integrity, and common methodological approaches (e.g., scoping reviews, quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods). The training further emphasizes Public Impact Scholarship, offering students tools to disseminate their findings through accessible formats such as op-eds, podcasts, infographics, one-pagers, and community-facing presentations and partnerships.

In this roundtable, we will share lessons learned from the iterative, multi-year development of the training program and describe how we aligned learning outcomes with the goals of translational science and social justice, within the context of a Social Work curriculum. We will also discuss the importance of communication strategies tailored to diverse audiences--including community members, practitioners, and policymakers--and how to integrate these approaches into research dissemination approaches/strategies. Participants will engage in an interactive discussion about co-training models that bring together students, community partners, and practitioners to foster the co-production of knowledge and increase the relevance and usability of social work research.

The roundtable will also explore dissemination strategies that move beyond academic publication and consider how scholars can support the translation of evidence into clinical, macro, and community-based settings. Together, we will workshop dissemination formats and instructional approaches that help graduate students distill complex research into actionable insights that resonate with everyday practice. Finally, we will discuss strategies to evaluate the effectiveness and multi-level impact of training programs like this, as well as frameworks to assess how Action Research and Evidence-Based Practice can advance equity and promote systems-level change.

This session will be of interest to faculty developing research training programs, students seeking to enhance the impact of their research studies, and researchers committed to bridging the gap between science and practice.5-2025-->