Transforming Evidence Podcast

In conversation: Nancy Hey of What Works Wellbeing

In our 'In conversation' series, Transforming Evidence's Jonathan Breckon talks with leaders of evidence intermediary bodies.In this episode he speaks with Nancy Hey in the days before the closure of the What Works Wellbeing centre after 10 years. It has been an interesting and innovative UK What Works Centre, cutting across multiple funders and partners, pioneering different knowledge mobilisation and research methods, such as qualitative evaluations, or rapid evidence synthesis, on an array of topics, including ending loneliness or dying well in palliative care.The centre has produced an overview of their legacy but this podcast goes into some of her more personal reflections - what she would have done differently, what she is most proud of,  how to juggle multiple funders, and what she plans next.
 
 

Transforming Evidence Podcast Episode 4:

In this episode we focus on evidence use as compared to production and mobilisation. We consider how to measure whether evidence has made a difference and how to track its use after it has been handed over to practice or policy users. 
Jo Casebourne played a prominent role in the What Works movement in the UK, leading one of their centres, the Early Intervention Foundation. She is now Chief Executive of Foundations, the What Works Centre for Children and Families and we talk to her about what she's learned during her career in evidence use and how these lessons can be applied elsewhere.

In conversation: Ruth Stewart of the Africa Evidence Network

In our 'In conversation' series, Transforming Evidence's Jonathan Breckon talks with leaders of evidence intermediary bodies.
This week he speaks with Ruth Stewart who founded the Africa Evidence Network, a community to share ideas about good evidence use. They discuss the challenges of working across great distances, cultures and languages, and ensuring inclusion, particularly while working remotely. They also exchange ideas on sustaining a network and the benefits of bringing people together. 
The Africa Evidence Network is an outstanding example of inclusivity and diversity that brings together a wide ranging group of people, topics and types of evidence with the aim of increasing evidence use, sharing knowledge and growing capacity. 

In conversation: Laura Boeira of The Veredas Institute

In our 'In conversation' series, Transforming Evidence's Jonathan Breckon talks with leaders of evidence intermediary bodies.
This week, Laura Boeira of The Veredas Institute shares her experience in connecting policymakers with research, the Institutes' ethos of 'radical collaboration' - making all their work public, and their counterintuitive objective of putting themselves out of business. 
The Veredas Institute was created in 2016 to build bridges between the public sector, academia, and civil society by proposing solutions that generate greater access to technical and scientific knowledge in the implementation of public policies. It is part of the World Health Organizations’ Evidence-Informed Policy Network (EVIPNet), developing policy briefs and deliberative dialogues.

In conversation: Eric Barends of Center for Evidence Based Management

In a new series, Transforming Evidence's Jonathan Breckon talks with leaders of evidence intermediary bodies.
This week Eric Barends, Managing Director of the Center for Evidence Based Management shares his experiences in running the Center, what he wishes he'd had known at the start and how he has managed politics and being politically impartial and independent. 
The Center for Evidence Based Management is an independent non-profit organization that was founded by an international group of management scholars and practitioners. It is the leading authority on evidence-based practice in the field of management and leadership,providing support and resources to managers, consultants, organizations, teachers, academics and others interested in learning more about evidence-based decision-making and practices in the field of management and leadership.  
 

Episode 3: Evidence and Decision Makers

In this episode we explore how evidence reaches decision-makers. Annette Boaz, co-lead of Transforming Evidence runs us through the formal systems used by decision-makers such as expert networks and advisory committees, or commissioned research or consultancy. 
 
Increasingly, academics and universities are expected to participate in discussions about policy and practice. Our guest, Giulia Cuccato, from the UK's Government Office for Science chats to Geoff about the value of this and talks about what researchers can do to improve evidence production and use. 
 

Episode 2: making evidence

Where does research get made? By whom, and through what types of research activities? What evidence does this create?
In this episode, we’ll discuss why it’s important to know who funds research, who decides what questions are asked and answered, and who gets to participate in research. Knowing what evidence is created and why is the first step in understanding how evidence can shape decision-making. 
Gemma Derrik of the Univerity of Bristol comments on the role of the ‘impact’ agenda in shaping funders’ ideas about what matters, and how once funded, researchers are then able to move onto actually generating research. 
 

Transforming Evidence: episode one, an introduction

Transforming Evidence is a group of colleagues with a shared interest in how to produce and use evidence effectively to address societal challenges. Our podcast aims to introduce and explore the study of how research evidence is made and used in policy and practice. 
In our introductory episode we meet experts from across our field to explore how evidence is used in politics, what funders are doing to maximise research impact, and the importance of evidence use in practice. 
We meet Paul Cairney, Vivien Tseng and Huw Davies who provide perspectives on how evidence is currently used, what funders are intereted in and where the field is going in the future.