Most organizations don't have a knowledge problem. They have a transmission problem.
The research exists. The expertise exists. The lived experience exists.
But somewhere between the journal article, the clinic, the boardroom, the grant report, and the people who actually need the information, the signal gets weak.
Important findings sit inside dense PDFs that nobody outside the research team will ever read. Patient education materials get written by committee and arrive sounding like they were designed to protect the institution, not inform families. Grant KT sections get treated as an afterthought, tacked on at the end of an application that took months to build.
Macaw Communications helps strengthen the signal. We translate complex, evidence-heavy work into communication that respects both the knowledge and the audience.
WHAT WE DO
We turn complexity into clarity; without sanding off the truth.
Knowledge Translation Strategy
Audience mapping, message architecture, KT planning, and dissemination strategy for complex health and research work.
We help you figure out what needs to be said, to whom, and in what form, before anyone writes a word.
Research-to-Reader Translation
Plain-language summaries, explainers, briefs, FAQs, and public-facing materials that make evidence usable.
Not dumbed down; opened up.
Education & Trust-Building Tools
Patient and community education resources, toolkits, stakeholder briefings, advocacy materials, and the practical assets that move knowledge from the PDF into people's hands.
Built for high-stakes knowledge.
Researchers and research teams. From grant KT plans to end-of-project dissemination, we help your findings travel beyond the journal.
Patient organizations and health nonprofits. Your community deserves information that's accurate, accessible, and doesn't sound like it was assembled in a fluorescent boardroom.
Health foundations and funders. Impact narratives that show why the work matters, without flattening the science into donor-friendly mush.
Healthtech, medtech, and mission-driven startups. If your audience can't understand the product, the product doesn't land. We help translate clinical complexity into commercial clarity.
Clear doesn't mean simplistic. Human doesn't mean fluffy.
Why Macaw
Macaw Communications brings together research literacy, strategic communication, lived-experience awareness, and over 25 years of analytical consulting. We are well-versed in working carefully with complex material, and we're especially attuned to audiences who are tired, skeptical, emotionally invested, or navigating systems they didn't choose.
We don't make important work sound "nice." We make it understandable enough to matter.
For work too important to stay trapped in jargon.
Ways to Work Together
A focused review of your existing materials to identify where the message is too dense, unclear, risky, or misaligned with the audience. Think of it as a diagnostic before the deeper work begins.
Starting at CAD $1,250
Clarity Audit
One study, report, or complex finding translated into a clear, accurate, audience-ready summary, with context your readers can actually use.
Starting at CAD $2,250
Plain-Language Research Brief
Strategy plus core public-facing outputs: explainer, FAQ, summary, briefing note, and dissemination copy. The flagship engagement for teams ready to move knowledge out of the PDF and into the world.
Starting at CAD $6,500
Knowledge Translation Package
A practical resource package for patient organizations, nonprofits, or health teams that need trustworthy, usable materials for families, caregivers, or community audiences.
Starting at CAD $8,500
Community Education Toolkit
Born from Between the Beats. Built for broader impact.
Macaw Communications grew out of the work behind Between the Beats, a knowledge-translation platform that translates congenital heart disease research into plainspoken, actionable insight for families navigating complex care. BTB is distributed through pediatric cardiology clinics, cited in professional development contexts, and read by families, clinicians, and researchers across North America.
The method is the same: read deeply, find the signal, translate with respect, and build for real-world use. Macaw Communications brings that discipline to any organization whose knowledge needs to reach people clearly.
Have complex knowledge that needs to reach people clearly?
Bring the paper, report, campaign, program, toolkit, or half-formed pile of "this matters but nobody understands it yet."
We'll help find the signal.
Disclaimer: Macaw Communications does not provide medical, legal, regulatory, or clinical advice. Health-related materials must be reviewed and approved by the client's qualified subject-matter experts.