Expert Speaks on Building Bridges Between Academia, Community Health Practice

By Tosin Clegg

Theresa Abah, a seasoned scholar-practitioner in gerontology and public health, has harped on the vital need to build stronger bridges between academic research and community health practice to drive sustainable, real-world impact.

Disclosing this in a media statement recently, she asserts that bridging academia and community health practice remains crucial to turning research into real solutions that improve lives.

According to her, effective health interventions require an integrated approach that connects theory with lived realities.

She explained that many health and aging-related challenges persist because knowledge generated in academic settings often fails to reach the communities that need it most.

“We must move beyond producing knowledge for journals and start producing knowledge for people,” she noted in her statement.

Abah, described as a Compassionate Architect of Change, said her work centers on aligning scholarly inquiry with real-world application to achieve measurable health outcomes.

She pointed out that her decades of experience ranging from engineering and public health to gerontology have shown her that the most complex issues, like aging and population health, cannot be solved in silos; they demand interconnected, interdisciplinary solutions.

Drawing from her international engagements spanning Nigeria, the United Nations mandate, and the United States, she emphasized that the lessons learned across borders highlight the universality of human health challenges.

“Aging, health, and wellbeing are global concerns, but their expressions differ by context,” she said. “What academia can do better is to adapt knowledge across these contexts, ensuring that evidence-based practices are locally relevant and culturally informed.”

In her statement, Abah also reflected on her work mentoring young professionals and health practitioners.

She explained that true transformation in community health comes from empowering others.

“Whether training community health officers in West Africa or supervising students in Sacramento, my goal has always been to build capacity helping people become agents of their own change,” she added.

As an advocate for older adults, she underscored the importance of including underserved populations in research and policy decisions.

Abah’s approach reflects what she calls pragmatic scholarship, a philosophy that ensures academic research remains grounded in practical realities.

Her research, she explained, is directly informed by the challenges she encounters both in the classroom and in the field.

One of her recent projects, titled Intergenerational Community Outreach Project, exemplifies this philosophy.

It aims to redefine geriatric education for health professionals across regions.

The initiative promotes an innovative educational model aimed at enhancing geriatric care training among health professionals, emphasizing collaboration between universities, healthcare institutions, and community organizations.

Abah is a seasoned scholar-practitioner in public health, gerontology, and global development.

She continues to contribute to advancing health research, and policy through her interdisciplinary approach and commitment to community impact.