What Is Research? And Why Should We Care?

This is a time of uncertainty for science and research. With nearly 2,500 federal grants delayed or canceled across the United States, a powerful conversation is taking shape in Minnesota.

On Friday, June 13 at 12 p.m. CT, Carmen Robles and Conversaciones de Salud, in collaboration with the Youth Community Journalism Institute at the Strong Mind Strong Body Foundation, will host a community webinar in partnership with Partners4Pain, an innovative research initiative grounded in community collaboration.

This webinar is for anyone who has ever wondered:

• What is research, anyway?
• Why does it matter?
• Who gets to do it?
• And how can regular people be involved?

Featuring Three Leading Researchers

Three researchers from the Integrative Health and Wellbeing Research Program at the University of Minnesota will join the conversation:

• Douglas Kennedy, assistant professor and co-investigator, Partners4Pain,
• Linda Hanson, research assistant professor, assistant director of the Integrative Health Program, and co-investigator, Partners4Pain
• Brent Leininger, principal investigator, Partners4Pain

These researchers are not just sitting in labs. They’re working side-by-side with communities to understand and address back and neck pain in creative, meaningful, and effective ways.

Their mission is clear: develop pain programs that are safe, accessible, and rooted in real-world experience.

But they’re also here to demystify the very nature of research and talk about why it should matter to all of us.

What You’ll Learn

This webinar will break down big ideas into everyday language and tackle questions like:

• What is research, and how is it different from Googling something?
• How do researchers actually do their work?
• What are their daily lives like?
• What happens after a research study ends?
• Who can be involved in research—and how?

And on a more personal note, you’ll hear from the panelists about why they became researchers. Many of them had other careers before science. So what made them take this path? And why now, especially during a time when research is being threatened and politicized?

We want to help people understand the role of research in their lives. It’s not just something that happens in a lab. It’s something that can improve your health, your choices, and your community.

Why This Matters

The stakes are high. A recent New York Times investigation revealed that thousands of research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have been delayed or canceled due to political interference. These cuts have ripple effects across every state, including Minnesota.

Now more than ever, understanding, and supporting, ethical, inclusive research is crucial. Events like this webinar can help build trust, transparency, and community engagement around research that truly serves the public.

Join us for this webinar, and let’s break down the barriers between science and society together.