Written by Cathal Rafferty, MD Candidate at University College Dublin, Ireland; University College Dublin Summer Research Scholar at the Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program
Coming to Washington University in St Louis this summer for the Summer Research Program – Public and Global Health Track, implementation science was a totally new concept to me. A few weeks into my research program, I now understand the huge potential for implementation science to deliver evidence-based health care to patients globally.
The aim of implementation science is to bridge the ‘know-do gap’. This is the difference between ‘what we ‘know and what we ‘do’ – medical research advances each year, expanding our knowledge about different medical technologies and interventions. Despite our expertise with many evidence-based medical treatments, often these interventions are simply not implemented. Why? Many health-care settings lack the means of actually implementing change – lack of resources, different organisational cultures and many other factors play a role in this.
This summer I am working with Sara Malone, PhD, on a project studying the implementation of guideline-based cancer survivorship care for children globally. Thanks to dedicated efforts in the fight against cancer, more children are surviving cancer following treatment. Survivorship care is an essential part of treatment – especially for children who may face lifelong after-effects from their cancer experience. With our project, we want to elucidate the barriers and facilitators globally to implementing the best cancer survivorship treatment for children. This means we will look at how care is implemented in a broad range of settings – from high income countries to low income countries.
Coming from Ireland, this is my first experience in the United States. Between its modern Medical Campus and the historic and beautiful Danforth Campus, WashU certainly has not disappointed! The warm hospitality and even warmer St. Louis summer weather have left nothing to desire. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to participate in this program and for the support of my mentor Sara. The team at the Institute for Public Health is welcoming and supportive, and it is a privilege to work among such distinguished colleagues.