Academic-clinical Partnerships for Knowledge Translation

Pediatric physical therapists working as faculty members in academic settings are well-positioned to support and guide the efforts of clinicians to access, analyze, and apply research evidence. This support and guidance may include offering structured and collaborative learning activities such as journal clubs and innovative continuing education courses. Clinicians are likely to benefit from the expertise of the faculty member in identifying and integrating the most recent and relevant research within these learning activities. Academics are also likely to benefit from the expertise of the clinicians in identifying the challenges and opportunities related to application of research evidence into clinical practice, which can then guide and enhance their teaching and research. Academic programs also benefit through the strengthening of the relationship with clinical partners and optimizing the clinical education experiences of students who are supervised by these individuals. This session will describe the development and implementation of a long-term academic-clinical partnership between Chatham University and two different clinical settings- outpatient pediatric and early intervention. Details and materials and lessons learned related to the partnership and the collaborative learning activities will be shared, along with the perspectives of individuals from the academic and clinical settings. Attendees will be able to use this information to enhance their own academic-clinical partnerships within their practice setting and community of practice.