Advancing the Science of Implementation: A Workshop Summary

Abstract

While much has been written about reducing the gap between science and practice, relatively little progress has been made to develop a sound knowledge base underlying implementation of effective interventions. To respond to these challenges, the National Institute of Mental Health organized a workshop entitled, “Advancing the Science of Implementation: Improving the Fit between Mental Health Intervention Development and Service Systems.” Over the 2-day workshop, a multi-disciplinary group of intervention and services researchers, implementers, methodologists, organizational theorists, and clinicians was brought together in an “engaged scholarship” * format composed of small and large-group settings to discuss the development of a sound knowledge base on the implementation of evidence-based practices. Using three specific intervention categories, participants identified constructs seen to be important to the implementation of the model in real-world systems. Following each breakout session, attendees reconvened for a full group discussion and brief presentations were conducted to highlight interventions in the areas of organizational measures, social network analysis and field opportunities. This summary describes some of the constructs relevant to implementation research and presents research questions that, if studied, will lay a solid foundation for implementation research.

Appendix: Meeting Participants

Nonfederal participants included: Jeffrey Alexander, University of Michigan; Thomas Belin, University of California-Los Angeles; John Bennett, Adapt of Texas; Leonard Bickman, Vanderbilt University; Esther Deblinger, UMDNJ; Naihua Duan, University of California-Los Angeles; Steven Gill, Southern Regional Area Health Education Center; Kevin Gully, Intermountain West Healthcare; Amy Herschell, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic; Megan Johnson, University of Washington; John Kimberly, University of Pennsylvania; David Kolko, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic; Isabel Lagomasino, University of Southern California; Richard McKasson, Adult and Child Mental Health Center, Inc.; Peter Mendel, RAND; Amy Oxman, Primary Children’s Medical Center for Safe and Healthy Families; Charles Rapp, University of Kansas; Michelle Salyers, Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis; Pri Shah, University of Minnesota; Madhukar Trivedi, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Andrew Van de Ven, University of Minnesota; Kenneth Wells, University of California-Los Angeles/RAND.

Federal participants from the National Institute of Mental Health included: David Chambers, Junius Gonzales, Denise Juliano-Bult, Ann Hohmann, Carmen Moten, Karen Anderson Oliver, Heather Ringeisen, Agnes Rupp, Joel Sherrill, and Keisha Shropshire. Other federal participations: Edward Maibach, National Cancer Institute; Beverly Pringle, National Institute on Drug Abuse; Jack Stein, National Institute on Drug Abuse. All affiliations refer to active positions at the time of the meeting.