Promoting a Sustainable Academic–Correctional Health Partnership: Lessons for Systemic Action Research

Abstract

In the United States, the phenomenon of mass incarceration has created a public health crisis. One strategy for addressing this crisis involves developing a correctional agency – academic institution partnership tasked with augmenting the quality and quantity of evidence-based healthcare delivered in state prisons and attracting a greater number of health professionals to the field of correctional health research. Using a Connecticut correctional agency – academic institution partnership as a case example, the present paper examines some of the key challenges encountered over the course of a 3-year capacity-building initiative. Particular attention is given to agency and institution characteristics both at the structural level and in terms of divergent stakeholder perspectives. The authors find that future partnership development work in this area will likely benefit from close attention to predictable sources of temporal variation in agency capability to advance project-related aims.

Absorptive capacity, technological innovation, and product life cycle: a system dynamics model

“…Part of a firm’s knowledge is from external sources, which are key to innovation (Barta et al 2016 ; Park 2014 ). The external knowledge source (L 1 ) of a firm is influenced by the inflow rate of establishing external knowledge (R 11 ) and the outflow rate of external knowledge source (R 12 ), with the initial value being zero: …”

“…Absorptive capacity is regarded as important for firm innovation and performance and has been a hot topic in the field of strategy and organization for more than two decades (Barta et al 2016 ; Huang et al 2015 ; Sopelana et al 2014 ; Vasudeva and Anand 2011 ). The dynamic nature of absorptive capacity is one of the major research areas in this field (Cohen and Levinthal 1990 ; Mäkinen and Vilkko 2014 ; Todorova and Durisin 2007 ; Zahra and George 2002 ), and two main research streams exist.…”

System Action Learning: Reorientating Practice for System Change in Preventive Health

“…System action learning programs draw on a range of both action learning and systems traditions including Critical Systems Theory (CST) (Aragon and Giles Macedo 2010 ; Barta et al 2016 ; Lewis 2015 ). Facilitated action learning processes that question assumptions, boundaries, and power dynamics, can create learning opportunities to generate knowledge about a system that otherwise may have not been explored.…”

Measurement in Correctional Health Research: Unique Challenges and Strategies for Enhanced Rigor

“…Similarly, these recommendations reflect the shared and collaborative responsibility among researchers, practitioners, patients, and providers, as well as other stakeholders, in achieving optimal results for persons who interface with criminal justice systems. Researchers can provide comprehensive and convincing evidence to corrections staff and administration regarding the benefits of not only correctional health research (Barta, Shelton, Cepelak, & Gallagher, 2016) but also the role of rigorous measurement. Similarly, practitioners may identify and respond to potential problems incurred when using previously validated measures in correctional health settings.…”