Libby Kalucy, PHC RIS
When was the last time you heard about some research that really inspired you? I imagine you talked about it enthusiastically with your colleagues, whether you work in policy, in practice or in research. You probably picked out the people you thought would be most interested, and thus by word of mouth contributed to one of the most powerful dissemination mechanisms.
Why did this piece of research inspire you? It may have been the unexpected methods or results, or the exact fit between design and purpose. It may have been just what you were looking for at the time, or it was presented so skilfully that the content was made fascinating. From the contrasting reactions I have heard in the past, I would guess that researchers, policy makers and practitioners would have been inspired for different reasons.
As well as being inspired by other people's research, as researchers we need to feel inspired by what we do.
Much of our routine activity as researchers is detailed but not exciting, but we sometimes experience memorable inspirational moments as we collect data, work out the analysis, or struggle over the interpretation. It can be very rewarding to find other people who are very interested in our work, or to get published in the journal of one's choice.
When we meet at the General Practice and Primary Health Care Research Conference in Hobart in early June, many of us will be looking for inspiration, for that Aha! moment, for the excitement of really good research that fits its purpose beautifully.
I look forward to hearing and meeting admirable speakers and colleagues known and unknown. I particularly look forward to hearing about the role that research can play in the huge challenge we face to bring about health for all.
I hope all who attend the Conference will find people and ideas to inspire and reinvigorate them.
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