Written by Kim Furlow, communications manager for the Institute for Public Health
Each spring (and coming again in spring 2024) the annual Dissemination and Implementation (D&I) Introductory Workshop is a great way to jumpstart a future career in D&I Science, or to infuse researchers with examples of how to incorporate D&I best practices into their research projects. The 2023 workshop, led by Research Assistant Professor, Stephanie Mazzucca-Ragan, PhD, of the Prevention Research Center at the Brown School, welcomed a packed house of 25 WashU faculty, staff, and affiliate researchers, who were anxious to learn about or get refreshed in the fundamentals of D&I.
I think the two-day workshop is a great way, through a small investment of time, to get to know not only some of the basic D&I concepts but also some of the familiar faces around campus who can help you take a deeper dive
into D&I, if you want.
Elvin Geng, director of the Center for Dissemination & Implementation and workshop lead
Workshop attendee, Aditi Ramakrishnan, MD MSc, an assistant professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases, appreciated attending alongside fellow faculty and researchers.
“The workshop was a great way to dip one’s toe in the D&I waters or, as in my case, to hear about things I’ve already learned from different angles and different scholars,” she said. “As I develop grants that incorporate implementation science, it is rewarding to learn about how to traverse the steps between implementation science coursework to designing and conducting implementation science-based research.”
Ramakrishnan encourages others who have an interest, to participate in the workshop and engage with the Center for D&I. “Take advantage of all the resources offered. It is a friendly, vibrant, smart group right here at WashU, and each resource and event builds on the other to give you either a taste or a deeper dive into implementation science.”
Amanda Gilbert, MPH, MSW, is currently earning her PhD in public health sciences at WashU and agrees that the workshop gives an overview how D&I science can be used to advance research and health equity. She appreciated hearing from speakers and how they use D&I in their work.
D&I science is a robust and evolving field with a broad array of applications. In particular, it is well situated for advancing health equity research through scaling up and adapting effective interventions.
Amanda Gilbert, PhD candidate
Gilbert said she feels that her workshop participation has enabled her to plan for aspects of D&I science throughout the research process. “Even if a particular research question does not lend itself to D&I work, how I investigate that research question—and opportunities for next steps—can still be planned and implemented with an eye toward D&I.”
Gilbert also wholeheartedly endorses the D&I Introductory Workshop, “Regardless of your level of knowledge or experience with D&I, there is a lot to learn.”
For notification about our next D&I workshop (Spring 2024), e-mail Karlee Kreienkamp.
For more information about WashU D&I workshops, courses, fellowships, mentored training and graduate programs, please visit the university’s D&I website.
The Center for Dissemination and Implementation at the Institute for Public Health advances the growing body of dissemination & implementation research methods by building training opportunities and catalyzing newly applied D&I research across health specialties. The center also works to ensure that the most effective services are delivered in clinical and public health settings.