How engaged scholarship is helping combat the wildfire crisis

Abstract

Voss et al. (2025) aptly noted the importance of collaborative multidisciplinary research that incorporates diverse stakeholder perspectives. Based on this, they provided specific recommendations for instilling engaged scholarship across the various stages of the research process. They noted that their "hard-won advice" was based on their "rich and unique experiences" with respect to collaborative research efforts. Despite the wealth of meaningful experiences amassed by the author team, their focal article was lacking in specific examples of successful collaborative efforts that showcase the benefits of engaged scholarship. Indeed, the only specific example from a real-world situation was regarding a recommendation for embedding engaged scholarship in the process of data analysis and interpretation. In this section, the authors noted the ongoing collaborative efforts for the Fire Service Organizational Culture of Safety project by the Center for Firefighter Injury Research and Safety Trends and their "teach-back" sessions that support iterative research that benefits both scientists and practitioners. Although certainly laudable, there is no real description of these efforts, leaving it unclear how this collaboration progressed through the research phases prior to data analysis and interpretation or how its members successfully navigated its later stages.

Citation

Howes, Satoris S.; Flores, David; Villarreal, Melissa; Hahnenberg, Bill; Darnell, Jane. 2025. How engaged scholarship is helping combat the wildfire crisis. Industrial and Organizational Psychology. 18: 211-215.