Bringing Multisectoral and Multidisciplinary Stakeholders Together to Optimize Environmental Health Research

Incorporating multisectoral and multidisciplinary stakeholder perspectives into environmental health research planning and implementation can help increase the utility of the research. It can also enhance the likelihood of stakeholders using the research to inform decisions. Health Effects Institute (HEI) Energy, a funding and research organization, undertook a multiyear research planning process to build its stakeholder network and integrate their perspectives, knowledge, and priorities into research on potential exposures and health effects associated with unconventional oil and gas development. This commentary describes that process, lessons learned, and how stakeholder involvement shaped HEI Energy's inaugural program of research and associated stakeholder engagement. Plain Language Summary Health Effects Institute (HEI) Energy ventured into the world of unconventional oil and gas development (aka "fracking") in 2014 at the height of controversy about its possible effects on human health and the environment. It hosted workshops with public and private stakeholder groups to identify the scientific research needed to support health-protective decision-making. The workshops brought varied and sometimes opposing perspectives into one room to work toward this common goal, often in the form of breakout groups charged with reporting back in a single voice to identify common questions. Workshop deliberations, taken together with literature reviews, culminated in recommendations for effective ongoing stakeholder engagement and a clear research agenda that is now underway. This commentary describes the process HEI Energy conceived and pursued to achieve this successful outcome.