Event summary: 2024 Lloyd Cox Memorial Lecture
Professor Helena Teede AM, a globally renowned clinician-academic in women’s health and expert in health translation, delivered the annual Lloyd Cox Memorial Lecture, focusing on the theme ‘Research with Impact: Translating Women's Health Research into Practice and Policy’.
Professor Teede shared valuable insights on how to bridge the gap between academic research and implementation into real-world clinical practice, highlighting key strategies and tools for success.
Event gallery
Key take-outs of the lecture included:
- The importance of strong leadership: leadership skills are crucial in driving research outcomes into actionable policies. Professor Teede emphasised that successful research requires leaders who can foster true collaboration, guide their teams, and maintain a vision of translating findings into impactful clinical applications.
- The importance of breaking down research silos, urging researchers to collaborate across disciplines and the research continuum, from bench to bedside. By creating multi-disciplinary teams, researchers can approach complex problems more holistically, which in turn enhances the effectiveness of moving research outcomes into clinical practice.
- Building a compelling case is important to influence policy change and be successful in funding. To influence policymakers, researchers must ensure that all stakeholders – including healthcare providers, patients and community, and decision-makers – are aligned in recognising the problem. Establishing consensus on the most dominant issues across a broad stakeholder base is crucial for successful translation.
- Focus on identifying and solving problems before jumping to solutions. Clear problem identification ensures that the research and subsequent inventions address real-world needs, improving the chances of success in clinical settings.
For early-career researchers, Professor Teede emphasised the importance of establishing a relationship with a mentor to receive formal guidance, support, and opportunities for professional development, which are critical for navigating the complexities of a research career.
About Professor Lloyd Cox
The event is held annually in memory of Professor Lloyd Cox whose pioneering work laid the foundation for the Robinson Research Institute.
Professor Lloyd Cox was the foundation Professor of the University of Adelaide’s Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) Department. He strongly believed in the collaboration of science and medicine and encouraged people to pursue new ideas and develop new techniques.
The lecture was very well attended and included researchers, clinicians, politicians and policy makers.