The Need for Local, Multidisciplinary Collaborations to Promote Advances in Physical Activity Research and Policy Change: The Creation of the Boston Physical Activity Resource Collaborative (BPARC)

Rachel A. Millstein^{1, 2,} , Nicolas M. Oreskovic^{2, 3}, Lisa M. Quintiliani⁴, Peter James^{2, 5} and Stephen Intille⁶

¹Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, U.S.A.

²Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, U.S.A.

³Departments of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, U.S.A.

⁴Department of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston University, Boston, MA, U.S.A.

⁵Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, U.S.A.

⁶College of Computer and Information Science, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, U.S.A.

Cite this paper:
Rachel A. Millstein, Nicolas M. Oreskovic, Lisa M. Quintiliani, Peter James and Stephen Intille. The Need for Local, Multidisciplinary Collaborations to Promote Advances in Physical Activity Research and Policy Change: The Creation of the Boston Physical Activity Resource Collaborative (BPARC). Journal of Physical Activity Research. 2018; 3(2):74-77. doi: 10.12691/jpar-3-2-2

Abstract

This commentary describes the development, vision, and initial progress of the newly-founded Boston Physical Activity Resource Collaborative (BPARC). Our aims are to move the field of physical activity forward, with broader dissemination and translation, by creating a local Boston and Massachusetts hub for researchers, practitioners, advocates, and policymakers. Participants come from multiple academic and medical centers, local advocacy groups, and government agencies, all of whom are working on components of physical activity promotion. We have had initial success in collaborating on study design, methodology, and grant applications. Future endeavors aim to produce streamlined methods and products with maximal impact for the field of physical activity research, policy, and practice.

Keywords:
physical activity research collaboration dissemination community

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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