UNIMED advocates adoption of strategic communication of research outcomes for enhanced visibility

From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure

The University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo, has emphasized the need for visibility of researchers through strategic communication of research outcomes.

This call was made at a workshop titled “Enhancing Research Impact through Communication and Research Outputs”  organized by the Central Office for Research and Development (CORD), in collaboration with the Directorate of Public Relations and Corporate Affairs of UNIMED.

Declaring the workshop open, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Ebunoluwa Adejuyigbe, said that “visibility is what gives research value and global relevance”.

She noted that “effective dissemination of research outputs enhances the university’s reputation, attracts collaboration and ensures societal impact.”

The Vice-Chancellor reaffirmed UNIMED’s commitment to building a robust research culture that promotes ethical science and effective communication.

In his welcome remarks, the Director of CORD, Prof. Oyeyemi Oyetunde, described the workshop as timely, stressing the need for researchers to publish responsibly and communicate their findings beyond academic circles.

Delivering the first presentation, Dr. Ijomone, Deputy Director *CORD) spoke on “Publishing Research for the Right Scientific Audience.”

Mr. Isaac Oluyi, the Public Relations Officer of the University emphasized the need to communicate research outcomes in a relatable language that end users, particularly policymakers and industrialists, would understand. He harped on the adoption of the inverted pyramid approach as a tool for simplifying research communication for public understanding.

According to him, “the inverted pyramid approach of communicating research outcomes places emphasis on the most newsworthy information, as opposed to an elaborate introduction that subsumes the most important information.”

He added that “research outcomes should galvanize development. To this end, research should be communicated in a simple language. Policymakers, according to him, have little or no time for verbosity or technical jargon.