Foreword

From Research to Reality is a conversation starter, an informative resource, and a practical companion for every healthcare professional trying to make change happen.

Sharon Mickan brings decades of experience to this work. Having worked with her, I am reminded of her enthusiasm for supporting learners when I read the tone of this book. She understands that most clinicians do not need more information or more encouragement to ‘try harder’. They need tools that work in messy, resource-constrained, emotionally charged settings. She understands that practitioners doing implementation are often caught between evidence and politics, and between executive strategies and real practice.

This guide is not prescriptive. It recognises the reader’s expertise and encourages adaptation. It recognises the importance of relationships and reflection, positioning implementation as a human process as much as a technical one.

The structure of the book – clear chapters, recurring case studies, and practical tools – makes it accessible to a wide range of learners. Through navigating paradoxes presented in each section, readers are encouraged to embrace tensions and trade-offs, rather than solutions. Reflection questions encourage readers to pause and think about issues in their own context.

Yet, the real gift of this book is in its tone. It feels like a friendly professor on the page: calm, wise, and gently provocative.

Healthcare needs more of this: less ‘improvement clutter’ and more pragmatism. Professor Mickan has given us a resource that will build capability, confidence, and courage in those working to bridge the research-to-reality gap. I recommend this book to all trying to make healthcare better—not just in theory, but in practice.

Victoria Brazil
Professor of Emergency Medicine
Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine
Bond University

12th October 2025