Where research meets practice: Building academic-regulatory partnerships to drive evidence-informed professional regulation

Health profession regulators are operating in increasingly disruptive and complex environments. Heightened public scrutiny, evolving system-wide risks, and growing expectations for evidence-informed regulation have intensified the need for research that is both rigorous and relevant. Despite growing scholarship in health professional regulation, disconnects between academic research and regulatory policy and practice persist. Drawing on literature and the authors’ experiences working with health profession regulators and system partners, this commentary article reflects on the values, challenges, and opportunities related to strengthening research partnerships between academic researchers and regulators to advance the science and practice of professional regulation.