TY - JOUR
T1 - Building capacity for dissemination and implementation research
T2 - One university's experience
AU - Brownson, Ross C.
AU - Proctor, Enola K.
AU - Luke, Douglas A.
AU - Baumann, Ana A.
AU - Staub, Mackenzie
AU - Brown, Matthew T.
AU - Johnson, Mallory
N1 - Funding Information:
The Center oversees and support two funding programs: a pilot projects program (1 year, $30,000 direct costs) and a small grants program (1 year, $7500 direct costs). Supported by a 3-year grant from the Chancellor’s office of the University, the grants programs were established in response to needs identified in an early WUNDIR needs assessment. These programs enable investigators to acquire preliminary data for subsequent grant proposals submitted to external funders.
Funding Information:
The IRI is a 2-year training institute in mental health implementation science, supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse [21, 23, 41]. Now in its second round of (5-year) funding, the IRI has trained 43fellows. Drawn from a national pool of applicants, fellows attend two annual weeklong trainings at Washington University in St. Louis, travel for a site visit on still-in-the-field implementation projects, and attend implementation science conferences.
Funding Information:
The Dissemination and Implementation Research Core (DIRC) began in 2007 as a pilot program within the Washington University Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (ICTS), and was our first formal component of D&I infrastructure. The faculty team proposing the core argued the importance of D&I science to ICTS goals, and framed the core as a technical assistance resource similar to other cores focused on earlier stage translation. Since its inception, the DIRC has been supported through 2 cycles of ICTS funding. The budget is modest but the core’s establishment provides visibility, a core of funding for key activities, and a variety of supports (e.g., communication, website) common to all ICTS cores.
Funding Information:
Similar to IRI, MT-DIRC is also a 2-year training program supported by the National Cancer Institute and the Department of Veterans Affairs [21]. In MT-DIRC, 14 fellows per year attend two annual week-long trainings at Washington University in St. Louis and are linked with a senior scholar in D&I science for mentoring over a 2-year period. To support these efforts, the core team developed and refined a set of competencies [42, 43] and model curriculum in D&I research and is actively disseminating program components for adoption by other individuals and institutions.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 The Author(s).
PY - 2017/8/16
Y1 - 2017/8/16
N2 - Background: While dissemination and implementation (D&I) science has grown rapidly, there is an ongoing need to understand how to build and sustain capacity in individuals and institutions conducting research. There are three inter-related domains for capacity building: people, settings, and activities. Since 2008, Washington University in St. Louis has dedicated significant attention and resources toward building D&I research capacity. This paper describes our process, challenges, and lessons with the goal of informing others who may have similar aims at their own institution. Activities: An informal collaborative, the Washington University Network for Dissemination and Implementation Research (WUNDIR), began with a small group and now has 49 regular members. Attendees represent a wide variety of settings and content areas and meet every 6 weeks for half-day sessions. A logic model organizes WUNDIR inputs, activities, and outcomes. A mixed-methods evaluation showed that the network has led to new professional connections and enhanced skills (e.g., grant and publication development). As one of four, ongoing, formal programs, the Dissemination and Implementation Research Core (DIRC) was our first major component of D&I infrastructure. DIRC's mission is to accelerate the public health impact of clinical and health services research by increasing the engagement of investigators in later stages of translational research. The aims of DIRC are to advance D&I science and to develop and equip researchers with tools for D&I research. As a second formal component, the Washington University Institute for Public Health has provided significant support for D&I research through pilot projects and a small grants program. In a third set of formal programs, two R25 training grants (one in mental health and one in cancer) support post-doctoral scholars for intensive training and mentoring in D&I science. Finally, our team coordinates closely with D&I functions within research centers across the university. We share a series of challenges and potential solutions. Conclusion: Our experience in developing D&I research at Washington University in St. Louis shows how significant capacity can be built in a relatively short period of time. Many of our ideas and ingredients for success can be replicated, tailored, and improved upon by others.
AB - Background: While dissemination and implementation (D&I) science has grown rapidly, there is an ongoing need to understand how to build and sustain capacity in individuals and institutions conducting research. There are three inter-related domains for capacity building: people, settings, and activities. Since 2008, Washington University in St. Louis has dedicated significant attention and resources toward building D&I research capacity. This paper describes our process, challenges, and lessons with the goal of informing others who may have similar aims at their own institution. Activities: An informal collaborative, the Washington University Network for Dissemination and Implementation Research (WUNDIR), began with a small group and now has 49 regular members. Attendees represent a wide variety of settings and content areas and meet every 6 weeks for half-day sessions. A logic model organizes WUNDIR inputs, activities, and outcomes. A mixed-methods evaluation showed that the network has led to new professional connections and enhanced skills (e.g., grant and publication development). As one of four, ongoing, formal programs, the Dissemination and Implementation Research Core (DIRC) was our first major component of D&I infrastructure. DIRC's mission is to accelerate the public health impact of clinical and health services research by increasing the engagement of investigators in later stages of translational research. The aims of DIRC are to advance D&I science and to develop and equip researchers with tools for D&I research. As a second formal component, the Washington University Institute for Public Health has provided significant support for D&I research through pilot projects and a small grants program. In a third set of formal programs, two R25 training grants (one in mental health and one in cancer) support post-doctoral scholars for intensive training and mentoring in D&I science. Finally, our team coordinates closely with D&I functions within research centers across the university. We share a series of challenges and potential solutions. Conclusion: Our experience in developing D&I research at Washington University in St. Louis shows how significant capacity can be built in a relatively short period of time. Many of our ideas and ingredients for success can be replicated, tailored, and improved upon by others.
KW - Capability development
KW - Capacity building
KW - Dissemination and implementation research
KW - Knowledge transfer
KW - Organizational capabilities
KW - Translational research
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85027470026&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s13012-017-0634-4
DO - 10.1186/s13012-017-0634-4
M3 - Article
C2 - 28814328
AN - SCOPUS:85027470026
SN - 1748-5908
VL - 12
JO - Implementation Science
JF - Implementation Science
IS - 1
M1 - 104
ER -