Researchers from Fudan University, Zhejiang University, Nanjing Medical University, Peking University, Duke Kunshan University, and Duke University, alongside representatives from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, joined the workshop. Health journalists from leading Chinese media, such as Caixin, Xinmin Weekly, Southern Weekly, Yicai, Xinhua News, and People’s Daily Health, were also in attendance.
“VaxLab’s offering is not limited to scientific evidence. We also emphasized the transformation of research findings into policies and practices, which requires the collaborative efforts of media and researchers,” said Shenglan Tang, M.D., Ph.D., Director of VaxLab, Duke Kunshan University.
Gavin Yamey, Director of the Center for Policy Impact in Global Health at Duke University, was invited as the workshop’s guest speaker to share the best practices in policy advocacy and provide insights on impact evaluation.
Session hosts of the workshop led the participants to address four topics: researchers’ agenda in evidence generation, media agenda on public health reporting, better media-researcher collaboration, and policy advocacy impact evaluation.
“It is essential to initiate dialogue and enhance mutual understanding between researchers and journalists,” said Dr. Anna Du, Senior Program Officer of Health, Innovation & Partnerships (HIP) in the China Country Office (CCO) of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She anticipated innovative approaches and partnerships for better health communication and policy advocacy.
