School of Nutrition
Université Laval
Presentation #1 in the pre-conference trainee workshop: From Publication to Impact: Designing Research for Real-World Use This presentation will introduce the science of knowledge mobilization <and its relevance to nutrition research and practice. It will outline key concepts, theoretical foundations, and distinctions between dissemination and implementation, highlighting persistent gaps between evidence and practice. Using concrete examples from nutrition and health care, the presentation will emphasize why effective knowledge mobilization requires context-sensitive, theory-informed, and user-engaged strategies. Presentation #2 in the pre-conference trainee workshop: Tools for Impact: Practical Knowledge Mobilization Strategies for Researchers This presentation will introduce a few knowledge mobilization planning tools, explaining why they are used and how they can strengthen research project design from the earliest stages. It will demonstrate how these tools support the development of a strategic knowledge mobilization plan that aligns messages, target audiences, products, timing, and engagement approaches within realistic resource and contextual constraints. The presentation will also address strategies for adapting knowledge mobilization plans to different contexts, including academic focused dissemination and time sensitive real world decision making environments.
Sophie Desroches is a Professor in the School of Nutrition at Université Laval, where she teaches courses in nutrition communication and clinical practice related to chronic diseases. She is also a researcher affiliated with the Centre NUTRISS (Nutrition, Santé et Société) at the Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF). Her research program focuses on identifying, developing, and evaluating knowledge translation strategies aimed at optimizing adherence to dietary recommendations. In recent years, her funded research projects have examined the use of social media as a knowledge translation tool to promote adherence to evidence based nutrition recommendations for chronic disease prevention and the risk of misinformation on Twitter (now X) publications about COVID-19 and nutrition. A central aspect of her ongoing research projects is understanding how and why different population groups—such as university students and women undergoing the menopausal transition—use social media to access nutrition information. She is particularly interested in the motivations, needs, and contextual factors that shape these information seeking behaviors.