Abstract: In October 2018, Calian, Military Family Services (MFS), The Vanier Institute of the Family and CIMVHR announced the establishment of Innovation to Impact – a working group focused on translating military family research to empower primary care physicians and military families to make evidence-based decisions and advance the provision of care for military families through the Calian Military Family Doctor Network (MFDN). To operationalize this vision, the group is developing tools for primary care physicians and military families based on knowledge that has been generated through the CIMVHR network of researchers that are focused on advancing research pertaining to military families. Since announcing this initiative, the working group has begun consolidating existing research and resources to be made available for primary care physicians as well as military families through the MFDN portal and other tools. The working group has also developed a concept model for delivering tools to primary care physicians and military families based on the research on the Military and Veteran Family Cultural Competency Model (Linna TamSeto, PhD, et al.). Working together, this group will close the “knowledge to practice” gap and make a tangible difference in the health care experiences of family members of Canadian Armed Forces personnel.
While most individuals achieve the transition to civilian life smoothly, some face significant challenges. Although numerous support services are available to those who need them, …