Knowledge to Action: Accelerating Progress in Health, Well-Being, and Equity

AN ESSENTIAL CONVERSATION FROM TODAY'S LEADING VOICES ON EFFECTING CHANGE IN HEALTH AND SOCIETY

"The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has changed the conversation about health in the United States." --Jo Ivey Boufford, President, New York Academy of Medicine

In a society where a person's zip code is a stronger predictor of health status than their genetic profile, every public health challenge is also a challenge of equity, implementation, and policy. For better or worse, improving health requires societal change, and the scale of today's societal challenges can have a stifling effect on even the most well-intended efforts.

Assembled by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and featuring today's most prominent voices from diverse sectors, Knowledge to Action is a collection of short conversations focused on the idea of meaningful change -- its definition, its impediments, and exploring how we can transition from research to action in health, well-being, and equity. Steeped in honesty and benefiting from the diverse experiences of an extraordinary assembly of academics, journalists, policymakers, public health practitioners, and researchers, this book offers provocative yet actionable perspectives that will benefit anyone who reads it.

Alonzo L. Plough, PhD, MPH, MA, is the Chief Science Officer and Vice President of Research-Evaluation-Learning at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Plough has had a distinguished career in public health practice, academia, and philanthropy, previously serving as: an executive leader in the Los Angeles County, Seattle-King County, and Boston Departments of Public Health; Professor of Health Services at the University of Washington School of Public Health; Lecturer at Harvard; Professor at Tufts and Boston Universities; and Vice President of the California Endowment. His work focuses on improving health and well-being, and increasing health equity. Plough also serves as a board member for many health and social welfare organizations.