Strategic Event Leadership: National Research Knowledge Mobilization

Client: Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) & Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC)

When Canada's leading substance use and mental health organizations needed to mobilize knowledge from 50 research teams that had received millions in federal funding since cannabis legalization, they turned to Dr. Bear to design and lead a critical knowledge exchange event. The "Our Shared Future" networking event represented a pivotal moment in Canadian cannabis policy development, bringing together researchers from coast to coast to shape the next generation of evidence-based policy decisions during a crucial transition period as the Cannabis Act underwent review.

Dr. Bear's team took complete ownership of the event planning and execution process, developing a sophisticated three-hour program that balanced networking, knowledge mobilization, and strategic planning objectives. The event, held at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Vancouver preceding CCSA's Issues of Substance Conference, required meticulous coordination of complex logistics including participant recruitment from 21 institutions across Canada, venue management at an international conference center, and the design of interactive activities that would generate meaningful policy insights from senior researchers representing organizations from Memorial University of Newfoundland to the University of British Columbia.

The event design demonstrated exceptional understanding of group facilitation and knowledge mobilization principles. Dr. Bear created an innovative agenda that began with structured networking activities using playing cards and predetermined rules to encourage connections between researchers who might not otherwise interact, fostering "shared belonging in the space" before transitioning to focused discussions on research gaps and future priorities. His moderation skills were crucial in managing discussions among 40 accomplished researchers, each representing significant expertise in cannabis policy, mental health, and public health research. The facilitated sessions successfully elicited collaborative input on three critical themes: the need for longitudinal research on cannabis impacts, harm reduction-focused education approaches, and targeted research with equity-deserving populations, including BIPOC, 2SLGBTQ+, and youth communities.

Dr. Bear's public speaking and presentation skills were central to the event's success, as he led multiple structured discussion sessions while maintaining engagement and ensuring productive dialogue among diverse academic and community stakeholders. His ability to synthesize complex research discussions in real-time enabled the identification of eight priority research areas that emerged from the collaborative process. Following the event, his team produced a comprehensive knowledge product that translated the discussions into actionable recommendations for policymakers and funding bodies, demonstrating the full cycle of knowledge mobilization from convening stakeholders through producing policy-relevant outputs. The project's success was evidenced by participant feedback highlighting that attendees "felt safe sharing their ideas" and successfully developed "creative and thoughtful grant proposals" while building lasting research collaborations that continue to influence Canadian cannabis policy development.