Working with DECIPHer has allowed me to develop my personal research interests while strengthening the link between Public Health Wales and higher education institutions in Wales.
The overall aim of my collaboration with DECIPHer is to strengthen the use of evidence to inform practice – whether by helping to disseminate research findings so that knowledge is used in practice, or securing research expertise to evaluate interventions delivered by Public Health Wales. The partnership helps to ensure that the action we take as a public health organisation has a demonstrable impact on the health of people in Wales, and is really starting to show results.
I’ve been impressed by DECIPHer’s collaborative approach to developing ideas for research. There is a strong commitment to recognising the input that practice partners make to generating good research proposals, and also to ensuring that the work that is done has relevance and will be used.
I think the key strengths of DECIPHer are the willingness to work with partners in a range of sectors and the emphasis on finding out what works using the most rigorous scientific approaches possible. I have found the team to be incredibly welcoming and the whole experience has been a really positive one for me.