Interdisciplinary professional doctoral education: translational research for allied health professionals

Interdisciplinary professional doctoral pathways and their associated learning trajectories are now a recognised mechanism of operationalising translational research from the context of work-based praxis. The longstanding debates of how best to bridge the theory-practice nexus in healthcare remains a challenge, although the progressive development of professional doctorate programmes has seen a rise in the number of clinical and professional practice doctorates across Western educational providers. This chapter provides an insight into how core concepts of performativity, transformative learning, and the potential to measure the impact of knowledge translation at the front line of person-centred care can all influence the holistic provision of doctoral education pathways with strategic relevance and operational pragmatism.