From Buzzword to Practice: How to Utilize Public Engagement as a Policy/Research Tool, with Julia Rodgers

Across disciplines and organizations, the pressure to incorporate public engagement into health research continues to increase. More than ever, engagement is embedded as an official ideology in healthcare decision-making, at all levels and in every aspect of policy. The one-stop formula to pacify dissent, or the “solution to contention and public concern, almost as a form of holy grail”. Yet, research has seemingly skipped the importance of prescribing the type of problem an institution is attempting to resolve through engagement and moved directly onto evaluating the success of the process. Though most suggest that simply “doing” engagement is a net positive, Julia Rodgers' research contends the opposite. This project develops a typology or “road map” of engagement in order to conceptually clarify how and why non-professional engagement in healthcare is manifested. To successfully apply engagement as a policy tool that achieves specific outcomes, decision-makers and researchers must recognize the context-specific nature of these practices, clarify what the objective of the practices are, and codify the variables accordingly.

Speaker Profile

Julia Rodgers is a PhD candidate in Political Science at Dalhousie University. Her dissertation research considers deliberative methods of health policy creation through a case analysis of provincial governance structures. Utilizing theories of representation and power, her work presents a framework of collaborative policy development that accounts for the different goals, intended outcomes, and institutional factors that facilitate system-wide success. She also holds a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (Atlantic Canada Studies) from Saint Mary’s University, where her MA thesis developed a critical history of public engagement mechanisms in Nova Scotia through the lens of neoliberal governance models. 

Julia’s professional background spans across disciplines, with experience in a diverse range of roles and sectors. From research coordination to mixed-methods data analysis, she has been involved in large-scale projects in fields such as Law, Management, Health Science, Nursing, and Community Health & Epidemiology. Holding expertise in community-based research – particularly with equity-deserving groups – she acted as lead author on a report for the Halifax Regional Municipality deemed to be “the most ambitious blueprint in Canada to reinvest in community services.” Beyond her professional and research background, Julia was elected to the Board of Directors for the Canadian Political Science Association, holding a term position until 2025. 

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