Moving the Science of Team Science Forward
Collaboration and Creativity
Kara L. Hall, PhD, Annie X. Feng, EdD, Richard P. Moser, PhD, Daniel Stokols, PhD, Brandie K. Taylor, MA
Abstract: Teams of scientists representing diverse disciplines are often brought together for purposes
of better understanding and, ultimately, resolving urgent public health and environmental
problems. Likewise, the emerging field of the science of team science draws on diverse
disciplinary perspectives to better understand and enhance the processes and outcomes of
scientific collaboration. In this supplement to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine,
leading scholars in the nascent field of team science have come together with a
common goal of advancing the field with new models, methods, and measures. This
summary article highlights key themes reflected in the supplement and identifies
several promising directions for future research organized around the following broad
challenges: (1) operationalizing cross-disciplinary team science and training more clearly;
(2) conceptualizing the multiple dimensions of readiness for team science; (3) ensuring
the sustainability of transdisciplinary team science; (4) developing more effective models
and strategies for training transdisciplinary scientists; (5) creating and validating improved
models, methods, and measures for evaluating team science; and (6) fostering transdisciplinary
cross-sector partnerships. A call to action is made to leaders from the research,
funding, and practice sectors to embrace strategies of creativity and innovation in a
collective effort to move the field forward, which may not only advance the science of team
science but, ultimately, public health science and pr ...