State Policymakers and Academic Researchers to Convene at State Capitol on January 9

The Connecticut Scholars Strategy Network is partnering with State Representative Jaime Foster  (Ellington, East Windsor, and Vernon) and UConn’s Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP) to host the inaugural “Moving Beyond Implications: Research into Policy” on Tuesday, January 9, 12 Noon – 6 PM,  at the State Capitol/Legislative Office Building in Hartford.

The conference will bring together academics, legislators, and other policymakers in advance of the 2024 Connecticut legislative session.

UConn’s Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP) brings together individuals with diverse scientific, clinical, and methodological expertise and supports their evolution into collaborative investigators who conduct innovative interdisciplinary research that impacts public health and well-being.

Moving Beyond will create an opportunity for researchers to present their policy-relevant scholarship to policymakers, provide an opportunity for policymakers to respond with their research needs and questions, and generate connections to inform evidence-based policymaking in Connecticut, according to organizers.

All members of the Connecticut General Assembly are invited to attend.  The focus of research presentations will be related to the jurisdiction of these legislative committees:  Children’s, Education, Energy and Technology, Environment, Human Services, Judiciary, Public Health, and Public Safety. 

InCHIP Centers at UConn include the UConn Center for Health and Social Media; Collaboratory on School and Child Health; UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy & Health; and the UConn Center for Advancing Research, Methods; Research Interest Groups; and Scholarship in Gun Injury Prevention. 

The Scholars Strategy Network (SSN) is a national membership organization made up of college- and university-based researchers interested in improving policy and strengthening democracy, founded in 2011.  SSN has grown into a network of over 1800 researchers in 47 states, including Connecticut. 

Rep. Foster, described as the only Scientist in the state legislature,  notes that individuals interested in attending can register at https://chip.uconn.edu/mbic-1-9-24-2/. Dr. Jaime S. Foster is serving her second term as State Representative in the Connecticut General Assembly, serving the 57th District. She currently serves on the Public Health, and Banking Committee and is the Vice Chair of the Energy and Technology Committee.

Dr. Foster is an alumnus of UConn’s College of Agriculture Health and Natural Resources; she received her B.S. in Dietetics and subsequently completed internship and testing requirements to be a Registered Dietitian. She has also obtained her MS and Doctorate in Nutritional Sciences at UConn.  Professionally, Dr. Foster works as a research scientist for the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center where her expertise and research focuses on interventions to address food insecurity and nutrition-related chronic diseases.