Focus on what works and why it works: bridging the gap between research knowledge and practical knowledge

In their contribution to Perspectives on Medical Education, Ng, Baker, and Leslie provide a novel and clear perspective on faculty development in health profession education (HPE) by conceptualizing it as a space for sharing research and practical knowledge [1]. The process of sharing these two types of knowledge implies that both are mobilized during faculty development and, in the end, become related. Successful faculty development then empowers faculty by enriching their contextualized experiential knowledge with research-based knowledge. According to Ng and colleagues, this enables them to become agents of positive change in their own system. The key role that teacher involvement plays in the success of educational change has been widely recognized in the literature [2, 3]. The impact that research knowledge, i. e. evidence generated by systematic empirical research, can have as fuel for innovation of education has also been emphasized [4]. The million-dollar question that still needs to be answered concerns how to close the proverbial gap between research knowledge and practical knowledge [5] within the space professional development provides. Clues for its answer can be found in the literature on teacher professional development. In an extensive review of the literature on the effectiveness of professional development in HPE, Steinert and her colleagues [6] identify a number of ‘key features’ that make professional development effective, including the role of ex-