Challenging knowledge divides: Communicating and co-creating expertise in integrated knowledge translation

To solve complex problems, it makes sense to seek diverse perspectives to develop research-based solutions. In the Canadian health sector, this collaborative approach to research is often called integrated knowledge translation (IKT). This thesis is concerned with how boundaries are both essential and obstructive in IKT. While the goal of partnering is to leverage different expertise, diversity also presents some of the most significant challenges to success, creating barriers that block communication and constrain knowledge sharing. Using situational analysis to explore interview and case study data, I explore how knowledge boundaries are experienced within IKT projects. I outline four discursive positions that emerge, and argue that recognizing their distinct characteristics is important for progress in IKT. I also compare and contrast concepts of boundary work and boundary objects as theoretical lenses for IKT analyses, and argue that broadening our conceptual toolbox is beneficial for the study and practice of IKT.