One voice and vision

Abstract

BACKGROUND: A collective identity is a set of shared values and value propositions that an investigator network projects as they deliver data and knowledge generated through their studies to community partners, policymakers, research participants, public health authorities, and prospective end users. The strategic process of identifying common values and establishing procedures to ensure the consistent communication of a collective identity across a diverse network of research teams is often not considered in research networks' dissemination of results. This paper describes how the HEAL Research on Interventions for Stability and Engagement (RISE) network co-created communication pillars that embody a set of common values and shared research imperatives to frame dissemination activities.

METHODS: Early in the development of RISE, project teams participated in an in-person workshop to identify attributes and core values that they believed to be representative of their individual research programs. Dissemination coordinators analyzed and synthesized themes from workshop material, including presentations and posterboard illustrations, and used Mural whiteboarding software to distill these themes into core values and value propositions to collectively share across the research sites.

RESULTS: The four communication pillars, which encompass our collective identity and are the foundation of our dissemination program, are (1) Doing Research with Communities, (2) Centering on the Lives and Experiences of People Who Use Drugs, (3) Emphasizing Scientific Rigor and Integrity; and (4) Focusing on Social Determinants. We present examples of how project teams are demonstrating the pillars throughout the research process and outline how the communication pillars inform the planning and dissemination of RISE-produced evidence to end users.

CONCLUSIONS: Applying concepts from strategic communication and social marketing, we demonstrate how a research network of independent investigators can create a collective identity, formulate a cogent narrative communicating their contributions to a field of practice, and establish a foundation for a successful research dissemination program.