The translation of research into clinical practice for improved patient outcomes has been, and remains, a challenge within healthcare practices. Faced with rising healthcare costs and growing recognition of the many factors that contribute to health, there is an urgent need to shift the focus upstream into communities in order to improve the health of the population. Many community-based programmes represent new models of care, so rigorously evaluating interventions and implementing and scaling-up successful pilots are critically important.

Prof Lesley Curtis, Chair and Professor of the Department of Population Health Sciences at Duke University School of Medicine and Interim Executive Director of Duke Clinical Research Institute at Duke University Medical Center, will share her experience in translating research into practice and how impacts on population health can be measured.