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.