Written by Kim Furlow, communication programs manager, Institute for Public Health
Approximately 80 researchers from the U.S., Africa, Asia, Mexico and other parts of the globe, recently converged on WashU for the annual HIGH IRI Institute, an intensive training program that equips early- and mid-career HIV, infectious disease and global health researchers with the critical tool of implementation science (IS).
Practitioners often describe implementation science as systemically aiming to close the gap between what we know, and what we do, using proven health interventions and evidence-based practices. At the annual institute intensive, HIGH IRI fellows receive personalized consultation on their project proposals and interact with experts who can help the participant apply the IS concepts to their own project.
HIGH IRI fellow, Nyanyiwe Mbeye, a senior lecturer at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences in Malawi, said for her, the intensive is one of the biggest things that has happened in her career. Mbeye said she met “the right people” who discussed how to propel her research concept to the next level, and experts educated her on how to improve grant applications. “I learned implementation science approaches that opened my mind to a whole new perspective!” Mbeye said.
Each day of the three-day intensive conference focused on a different theme, providing participants with a comprehensive understanding of the field.
The 2024 HIGH IRI cohort engaged in presentations on:
Day 1: Understanding the Implementation Problem – Current Conceptualizations
Day 2: Strategies for Implementation – State of the Art
Day 3: Exploring and Testing Implementation Strategies – Developing Perspectives
Day 4: Emerging Issues in Global Implementation Science
Day 5: Symposium Day – focused on building infrastructure for dissemination and cancer implementation research globally.
Institute fellow, Lauren Brown, assistant professor of Family and Community Medicine, and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Meharry Medical College, liked the “eureka moments” she experienced, including discovering a missing framework for a new grant (Implementation Mapping); learning how an analytical method could take one of her projects to new levels of innovation (Social Network Analysis); and, most importantly, organically connecting with a seasoned implementation scientist, who Brown said, will remain a lifelong colleague.
In addition to interactive workshops, mentoring pods, and panel discussions, scholars engaged in a mini-Bootcamp, which facilitated one-on-one consultations to help advance participants’ D&I projects.
Organizers also recognized the annual Nancy Czaicki Scholar. The Dr. Nancy Czaicki Memorial Gift Fund was established tocarry on the vision and passion exemplified by Czaicki through education, capacity-building and research to improve the health and well-being of those impacted by infectious diseases in Africa.
The 2024 Nancy Czaicki Scholar is Margarate Munakampe, a faculty member and researcher at the University of Zambia School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy and Management. Her research aims to shed light on health policies and interventions in marginalized contexts, emphasizing a human rights framework. Read about Nancy Czaicki’s legacy.
Presented by WashU’s Center for Dissemination and Implementation, HIGH IRI is supported by Viiv Healthcare, National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Fogarty International Center – Adolescent HIV Prevention and Treatment Implementation Science Alliance (AHISA). To learn more and see the 2024 cohort and leadership, visit the D&I website.