Amplifying Research

46. Research Translation: Dr Jaelea Skehan on why proving something works is just the start

11 May 2026

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View the full show notes, including a summary of practical tips on the Amplifying Research website: https://www.amplifyingresearch.com/podcast/46-jaelea-skehan You've done the research. You've run the trial. You've published the paper. So why isn't anything changing? Dr Jaelea Skehan has spent more than 25 years translating research into real-world programs in mental health and suicide prevention — and she's seen firsthand why so many evidence-based innovations never make it past the journal. In this episode, she makes a compelling case that proving something works is just the beginning, and shares hard-won lessons from programs spanning 18 months to 25 years on what it actually takes to get research into practice — and keep it there. Jaelea is the Director of Everymind and was awarded an Order of Australia medal for her work in community mental health. A psychologist, researcher, and policy advisor, she leads a multidisciplinary team that does what she calls "priority-led research" — designing programs not for journals, but for the systems and people they need to serve. Her PhD focused on what actually works when trying to change practice in sectors outside of health, built on Everymind's decades of implementation experience. What makes Jaelea's perspective distinctive is that she lives at the intersection of research, practice, and community — and she's unflinching about what she's seen from that vantage point. She argues that the system incentivises proving things work in controlled settings while neglecting the messy, relational work of getting them into practice. And she backs it up with detailed case studies from programs her team has built, implemented, evaluated, and adapted over decades. "All of the work and all of the effort you put into designing a program and proving that it works or that it's got some good outcomes… It is not the end of the journey. If anything, it's a ticket to the starting line." — Dr Jaelea Skehan This episode is essential listening for anyone who cares about whether research actually reaches the people it's meant to help — whether you're designing interventions, funding them, evaluating them, or trying to get them implemented. If you've ever felt frustrated by the gap between evidence and practice, Jaelea offers both a diagnosis and a way forward. Our conversation covers: Why the research-practice gap in mental health and suicide prevention is a matter of life and death — and what it's doing to public trust in research The voltage drop: why interventions that work in controlled trials lose effectiveness in the real world Why proving something works is "a ticket to the starting line, not the end of the journey" Designing for the implementation environment, not just the innovation itself The Mindframe program: 25 years of lessons on changing media reporting of suicide across an entire sector Why resources and guidelines don't change practice on their own — and what does Designing for 80% alignment rather than word-perfect evidence translation Co-producing with lived experience advisors and disseminating findings to the people who need them before publishing in journals Priority-led research vs investigator-led research: how Everymind decides where to put its effort How to think about evaluation and evidence-building when your funding comes in two-year cycles What senior researchers and funders can do to set up the next generation to work differently Find Jaelea online: LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaelea-skehan-oam-2a720323/ Everymind — https://everymind.org.au Things mentioned: Episode 39: Implementation Science — Dr Robyn Mildon on the 17-year research-practice gap Episode 36: Practical Impact Planning and Evaluation — Dr Sarah Morton on the Matter of Focus framework Everymind – www.everymind.org.au Lived experience workshop reports - Workshop outcomes from a Lived Experience of Suicide Summit | Everymind Mindframe program Our stories matter resources: Sharing lived and living experiences of suicide publicly Our stories matter: a mixed methods survey of lived and living experience perspectives of media and public communication of suicide in Australia | BMJ Public Health Minds Together – www.mindstogether.org.au Conversations Matter – www.comversationsmatter.org.au Life in Mind – www.lifeinmind.org.au Life in Mind Implementation Hub - Suicide prevention implementation hub Centre for Evidence and Implementation

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13:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

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12:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

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2ª PARTE | 06 ENE 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

01 Jan 1970

El Partidazo de COPE

3ª PARTE | 22 ENE 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

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El Partidazo de COPE

3ª PARTE | 04 MAR 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

01 Jan 1970

El Partidazo de COPE

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Amplifying Research

46. Research Translation: Dr Jaelea Skehan on why proving something works is just the start

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet

Other recent transcribed episodes

13:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

10:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

12:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

2ª PARTE | 06 ENE 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

3ª PARTE | 22 ENE 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

3ª PARTE | 04 MAR 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

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