Does Health Research Reach Washington? A Conversation on Evidence, Policy, and the Gap Between Them | CSIS-WashU Workshop

On Friday, October 9 from 9:00 am to 10:30 am ET, The CSIS Bipartisan Alliance for Global Health Security in partnership with the WashU Bursky School of Public Health will host an event in Washington, DC focused on the role of universities in strengthening the connection between research evidence and policy action. During a period of increased skepticism toward the value of universities and the public health enterprise, how can researchers, policymakers, and communities collaborate to increase trust in university research and the value placed on public health evidence?

This event is part of the “Better Ways of Knowing” project, a multiyear initiative led by the Healthier Futures Lab at WashU Bursky School of Public Health in collaboration with the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research. The project, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, aims to rethink how public health knowledge is generated, communicated, and translated into action. This convening is being deliberately held in Washington to bring together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss how public health evidence can better align with the realities of policy decision-making.

Sandro Galea, Margaret C. Ryan Dean of Public Health, Eugene S. and Constance Kahn Distinguished Professor in Public Health, Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Initiatives, Washington University in St. Louis Bursky School of Public Health, will provide opening remarks. J. Stephen Morrison, Senior Vice President and Director, CSIS Global Health Policy Center, will moderate the discussion. He will be joined by Jennifer E. Layden, Associate Dean for Practice and Professor, Washington University in St. Louis Bursky School of Public Health, Julie Morita, President & CEO; Board Member, The Joyce Foundation, and William Steiger, Senior Adviser (Non-resident), Global Health Policy Center; and Chief Executive Officer, Malaria No More.

This work is made possible by general support to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.