The Future of Evidence
Exploring the future of evidence to advance health equity.
The way we create, share and use knowledge is changing rapidly. The next five to fifteen years will bring about even more transformation.
Increasingly, research is being shaped by experts with firsthand experience—rom community members to patients—challenging the status quo about who holds knowledge and what research questions should be asked.
At the same time, evidence is steadily being challenged. Today, the validity and credibility of evidence, and even what counts as evidence, is being debated. Trust in institutions is declining and misinformation is threatening hard won advances in public health.
Evidence itself is also evolving, as new knowledge is created. The pandemic exposed the changing nature of what the science tells us, and it underscored the need to explore new ways of thinking that account for the “living” nature of evidence.
As we build the evidence base that will lead to more equitable solutions and a Culture of Health, we must harness the research trends and ideas that are most promising, while being vigilant in mitigating potential harms that could arise from these shifts. To help anticipate this future, RWJF is exploring questions such as:
- How can we build trust in critical information and stop the spread of misinformation?
- How do we acknowledge the evolving nature of evidence?
- How do we ensure evidence is more representative and leads to better decisions and outcomes for everyone—and that it doesn’t perpetuate or exacerbate inequities and systemic racism?
- How can research better reflect the priorities and concerns of community members?
- What blind spots may be preventing the research enterprise from conducting equitable evaluation?
With our support, researchers, scientists, and other innovators are offering insights, lessons, and solutions to these questions—and helping us all see what it will take to build a future where evidence is defined, collected, valued, shared, questioned and used ethically and equitably to advance wellbeing.
Evidence itself is also evolving, as new knowledge is created. The pandemic exposed the changing nature of what the science tells us, and it underscored the need to explore new ways of thinking that account for the “living” nature of evidence.
As we build the evidence base that will lead to more equitable solutions and a Culture of Health, we must harness the research trends and ideas that are most promising, while being vigilant in mitigating potential harms that could arise from these shifts. To help anticipate this future, RWJF is exploring questions such as:
- How can we build trust in critical information and stop the spread of misinformation?
- How do we acknowledge the evolving nature of evidence?
- How do we ensure evidence is more representative and leads to better decisions and outcomes for everyone—and that it doesn’t perpetuate or exacerbate inequities and systemic racism?
- How can research better reflect the priorities and concerns of community members?
What blind spots may be preventing the research enterprise from conducting equitable evaluation?
With our support, researchers, scientists, and other innovators are offering insights, lessons, and solutions to these questions—and helping us all see what it will take to build a future where evidence is defined, collected, valued, shared, questioned and used ethically and equitably to advance wellbeing.
Pioneering Ideas for an Equitable Future
What can we do today to create a healthier, more equitable tomorrow?
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