Objectives for the course depend on training track:
Participants in the Fundamentals of Implementation Science track will explore the current literature on implementation science; be introduced to innovative scientific methods and tools of diverse disciplines to understand and overcome impediments to implementation and facilitate scale-up; and use case studies to identify and examine implementation successes and failures. At the end of the course, participants should be able to:
- Identify the major factors that limit the translation of efficacy trials to effective health programs, and describe the role of complementary research methods in the development of evidence-based health programs and policies.
- Explain appropriate research and evaluation methods to overcome impediments to implementation and facilitate timely scale-up of proven interventions with high levels of fidelity and effectiveness.
- Contextualize and explain real-world examples in which efficacious interventions failed or succeeded.
- Describe a multi-disciplinary framework for improving implementation of evidence-based interventions.
Participants in the Advanced Training in Implementation Science track will acquire advanced knowledge of the concepts, theories, and methods of implementation science in global health. Designed for those who possess a firm grasp of the fundamentals of implementation science, the course will provide opportunities for students — through readings, discussion, and application exercises — to deepen their knowledge of, and practice developing, research questions, frameworks, study designs, and measures appropriate for implementation science. Participants will critically evaluate the evidence that implementation science has generated; discuss contemporary issues gripping the field; examine innovative approaches and directions in the field. At the end of the course, participants should be able to:
- Describe and develop research questions, frameworks, study designs, and measures appropriate for implementation science.
- Characterize the uses and methods of qualitative research and mixed methods research in implementation science.
- Examine the evidence for implementation strategies commonly used in global health and apply methods for developing, optimizing, adapting, specifying, and matching strategies.
- Discuss concepts, frameworks, and approaches in implementation science that apply to sustainability, capacity building, scale-up and spread.