From Research to Public and Back: Design-Driven Knowledge Mobilization in Palliative Care Research

There is a growing effort to share health services research beyond academic journals, challenging conventional approaches to knowledge mobilization and opening new possibilities for broader public impact. Arts‑based knowledge mobilization remains an underused yet promising way to engage the public in research. Integrating art or design into research promotes “collective making,” enabling deeper public engagement—particularly valuable in hospice and palliative care, where storytelling, narrative, and embodied experiences help communicate complex care journeys.
This workshop introduces a research‑to‑public‑to‑research feedback loop developed by health services researchers, innovation designers, clinicians, and people with lived experience. This methodology offers a new horizon for public engagement, reciprocal knowledge mobilization, and research generation by sharing findings through artistic or design‑based formats and inviting participatory input in return. Situated at the intersection of arts‑based research, experience‑based design research, and research‑through‑design, it provides a structured yet creative framework for engaging communities in meaningful dialogue about care, experiences, and research priorities.
In this 75‑minute session, participants will be introduced to the theoretical and practical foundations of the methodology; review three palliative care projects that applied it across Canada—The Storytelling Project, the Art of a Good Death Competition, and The Terminal Diner; explore practical guidance on implementation, including strategies for working with artists and designers, securing funding, navigating ethical and copyright issues, and selecting dissemination venues. Lessons learned will highlight ways to mitigate challenges such as interdisciplinary misalignment and variable public engagement. The session will conclude with an interactivity activity and discussion.
This methodology is well suited to researchers seeking to bridge academic rigor with meaningful public participation. Attendees will leave with concrete strategies for incorporating art and design‑based methods into palliative care research and for positioning public engagement as a driver of research generation and dissemination.