Dr Maria Alejandra Pinero de Plaza

Dr Maria Alejandra Pinero de Plaza, PhD, is a scientist who facilitates healthy living and better public health services. Dr. Pinero de Plaza strengthens researchers, clinicians, industry, and consumers' abilities to design, measure, and accomplish different health and social impacts. Her experience in mixed-methods, experimental design, and evaluation helps her identify and demonstrate how interventions, healthcare services, and technology can provide better choice, inclusion, voice, justice, health, and wellbeing.

She is passionate about care, social networks, digital health, and methods that influence behavioural change. Dr Pinero advocates for evidence-based research as a member of the JBI Evidence Implementation Network, two JBI expert reference groups (Cardiovascular and Aged Care), and an Associate Editor for JBI Evidence Implementation (Q1 Journal).

Dr Pinero de Plaza involves stakeholders as co-researchers, recognising their essential role in creating and executing transdisciplinary, evidence-based solutions for complex and adaptive health and care research challenges and many other wicked problems, such as:

1. Learning and Impacting Knowledge Translation (KT): Using realist evaluation and longitudinal case studies, this paper explores how transdisciplinary research teams develop skills for effective KT and how these processes shape the research outcomes.
2. Navigating Multidisciplinary Collaboration: Reflects on strategies for managing research networks and fostering multidisciplinary collaboration, emphasizing practical approaches and self-reflection.
3. Understanding Transdisciplinary Collaboration: Examines how health researchers perceive and implement transdisciplinary collaboration, bridging the gap between theoretical potential and practical application.

This approach involves synthesising insights from multiple disciplines and embracing the inherent complexity of these issues, leading to comprehensive transdisciplinary strategies (e.g.,  her work within the CSIRO ON PRIME Innovation program, investigating health system enablers and barriers to continuity of care for First Nations Peoples living with chronic disease, or her co-designed socio-scientific exhibition using art to bring awareness to the marginalisation of Frail, Homebound and Bedridden People in Australia #FHBP).