This annual event is organized by members of The Great Plains IDeA-CTR and is jointly sponsored by: CENTRIC (Center for Patient, Family, and Community Engagement in Chronic Care Management), the College Of Public Health Department of Health Promotion, and The Great Plains IDeA-CTR.

A major goal of the GP IDeA-CTR Network is to increase the number of successful clinical and translational researchers working on innovative ways to reach medically underserved populations and improve the health of individuals living within our region. To achieve this goal, facilitating research on dissemination and implementation science – the study of how best to move research evidence into practice – is critical. Workshops such as these are meant to assist researchers develop and use innovative tools and approaches and lead CTR teams. Implementation science is the study of methods that influence the integration of evidence-based interventions into practice settings. Dissemination is the process of spreading knowledge and information to these settings.

More than 50 participants attended the 2019 D&I Workshop. Returning speakers Paul Estabrooks and Samantha Harden offered up a brief overview of D&I concepts and strategies. We were happy to welcome Wen You, PhD, an Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at Virginia Tech. With her background in the field, she was able to provide insight into the basics of behavior economics and how it can be applied to implementation research.

Also with us for the first time was Byron Powell, PhD, LCSW, Assistant Professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Powell’s area of expertise lies in the field of implementation strategies, particularly the techniques and priorities that can optimize implementation strategies to ensure success in studies. According to Dr. Powell, “We should strive to use implementation strategies that are informed by relevant stakeholders, theory, and evidence, and should report them systematically to promote replication and a greater understanding of how and why they work.”

The workshop also featured stratified breakout sessions to satisfy the needs both D&I Science beginners as well as those who wanted to build upon their existing knowledge. Finally, we repeated our expert consultations for attendees hoping to have their research proposals evaluated by experts in the field.  It is a great way to receive feedback on how to improve their proposals using D&I principles.

Please see the presentations section below if you are interested in viewing the speaker PowerPoint slides from this year’s workshop. Stay tuned for more information about activities regarding D&I Science; become a member to receive updates and information on upcoming events. And be sure to check out the resources, information, and presentations made available from our 2017 D&I Workshop and 2018 D&I Workshop as well.