EPOCH-Connect
In early childhood health promotion, collaboration is essential to break down disciplinary silos and create systemic change.
Bringing together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and families allows for innovative research and the translation of findings into tangible, real-world impact.
Collaborative and impactful research requires skills beyond those taught in research training programs.
Multidisciplinary Communities of Practice (CoP) in public health are an invaluable asset to researchers looking to connect with like-minded individuals and drive progress in their field.
CoP bring together individuals with a shared interest in a collaborative space, where they can work towards developing a shared practice.
Virtual CoP are a useful alternative or complement to a tradition CoP, to bridge the geographical distance between members.
The Early Prevention of Obesity in Childhood Early and Mid-Career Researcher Connection (EPOCH-Connect) is a CoP for multi-disciplinary early and mid-career researchers passionate about improving health in children aged under five years.
Established in 2022, EPOCH-Connect was initiated by the National Health and Medical Research Council Centre of Research Excellence in Translating Early Prevention of Obesity in Childhood (CRE EPOCH-Translate).
A CoP, like EPOCH-Connect, provides an ideal forum for like-minded researchers across different disciplines to come together to grow their capacity and skills, and meaningfully improve early childhood health.
What is the aim of EPOCH-Connect?
The aim of EPOCH-Connect is to foster a collaborative environment among diverse early childhood health researchers and professionals with a common goal of improving child health.
By building a multidisciplinary network, the community strives to promote holistic and innovative research, enhance capacities for collaborative research, and facilitate broader translation of research findings into practice.
How is the CoP structured?
As a CoP, EPOCH-Connect is inherently member-centric.
The activities of the CoP revolve around the needs and interests of its members.
While CRE EPOCH-Translate provides the overarching leadership and administrative support, the CoP is managed separately by a voluntary organising committee who act as the CoP convenors.
The CoP includes members who actively participate, and core members who promote the group’s work and activities to broader networks.
This structure ensures that EPOCH-Connect remains a vibrant and responsive hub, driven by the passion and expertise of its active members.
What have we achieved?
As of January 2024, EPOCH-Connect has grown to include 55 members from 12 institutions, representing leading research groups interested in early childhood health.
Membership predominately includes research students and early career researchers, with some mid-career researchers.
Members represent a range of disciplines including nursing, dietetics, psychology, economics, and public health, located across Australia and New Zealand.
EPOCH-Connect hosts regular virtual meetings which provide an engaging and interactive opportunity to learn and apply skills.
In May 2023, EPOCH-Connect hosted their inaugural hybrid Research Symposium, showcasing collaborative and innovative practices of early career researchers, to advance research and impact.
EPOCH-Connect also hosts End of Year social meetings, where members connect and reflect on the year that was.
In 2023, members in each state embraced the opportunity to connect in-person by coming together and dialling into the virtual meeting in “hubs”, located at Flinders University in Adelaide, The University of Sydney, and Deakin University in Geelong.
What have we learnt?
To enhance engagement and participation, the organising committee prioritises understanding the learning and support needs of current members, as well as demonstrating and communicating the benefits of being a CoP member.
The organising committee have made a considered effort to include topics of interest to members, evolving to the changing needs and preferences of the group.
The organising committee have found that a combination of online and hybrid meetings best suits the needs of the members.
We’ve also learnt that membership and engagement evolve organically.
The key to growing EPOCH-Connect has been the dedication of the organising committee and core members who regularly promote the activities of the group to broader audiences.
Finally, the professional diversity among the membership is a key strength of the group.
This diversity fosters new collaborations across institutions and disciplines, enabling rich and thought-provoking discussions.
Member feedback indicates new collaborations have grown and that the CoP provides a safe and inclusive environment to disseminate research and develop communication and leadership skills.
What next?
Building upon our success and learnings in 2023, EPOCH-connect aims to continue to grow and diversify our membership, increase our presence and communication on social media, and provide members with more networking opportunities this year.
Communities of Practice provide unique and valuable opportunities for fostering shared learning, capacity building and establishing new collaborations across career stages.
EPOCH-Connect is a blueprint for the creation and coordination of a multidisciplinary CoP within public health research and practice.
Its success is demonstrable of the importance of cross-discipline collaboration to improve health outcomes.
As EPOCH-Connect continues to grow, we welcome any new members whose research aligns with the vision and goals of the CoP. If you would like to join EPOCH-Connect, please complete our membership form.
You can also keep up to date with our activities by following us on Twitter/X, joining our LinkedIn group or by sending us an email.
Other Communities of Practice that might be of interest:
- Connecting the Dots Community of Practice – a CoP for primary health professionals interested in early childhood health promotion
- The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre Communities of practice – Public health law CoP, Qualitative research CoP, Citizen science in prevention CoP and Science communications CoP
- The Health in Preconception, Pregnancy, and Postpartum Early and Mid-career Researcher Collective (HiPP EMR-C)
The EPOCH-Connect organising committee includes: Dimity Dutch, PhD Candidate at Flinders University; Cynthia Smith, PhD Candidate at Deakin University; Eve House, PhD Candidate at The University of Sydney; Dr Jessica Appleton, Lecturer at The University of Technology Sydney; Dr Erin Kerr, Population Health Research and Evaluation Coordinator at Sydney Local Health District; Dr Konsita Kuswara, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Deakin University; Dr Vicki Brown, Senior Research Fellow at Deakin University; Professor Eizabeth Denney-Wilson, Conjoint Professor of Nursing at The University of Sydney.
Pictured: Members of EPOCH-Connect at a hybrid meeting.
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