This story was originally published in the December 2024 issue ofBreakthroughsbulletin.
Translating medical research findings from the research laboratory to patient care, aka “bench to bedside,” is much more complex than it seems, but is imperative to improving human health. While many research programs stop there, implementation science goes even further by moving from the bedside to the community.
Broadly speaking, implementation science is the study of methods to intentionally and equitably bridge the gap between what we know and what we do in medicine. The field is inherently transdisciplinary and applies methods from disciplines such as engineering, psychology, anthropology and economics.
At Feinberg, implementation science was identified as a strategic priority after a February 2022 meeting. research retreat where nearly 200 principal investigators gathered to discuss research priorities that would help guide the Feinberg research enterprise for the next five years. Since then, Feinberg has experienced rapid growth in the field of implementation science, with the creation of a new centerhiring new faculty members and creating new grants and projects that bridge the gap between research and practice.
In August 2022, just a few months after the research retreat, Sara Becker, Ph.D.joined Feinberg to establish and lead the Center for Scientific Dissemination and Implementation (CDIS). The new transversal center is nested within the Institute of Public Health and Medicine (IPHAM). CDIS has been officially launched in November 2022 at an event that brought together leaders and visionaries from across the North West to inform the development of the centre’s five-year work plan.
One of the first priorities identified during the launch event was the creation of a Scientific advisory service on dissemination and implementation provide methodological support to faculty interested in using implementation science methods. Since March 2023, the Consult service, led by Kelli Scott, PhD, has served more than 100 faculty members, spanning all clinical affiliates and 28 departments, centers and institutes. Most consultations focused on pre-award support (67%), followed by mentoring and professional development (19%). After a three-month follow-up, 70 percent of pre-award consultations resulted in a grant submission, with 60 percent of submissions including CDIS faculty and staff.
Education is another key priority of the center. CDIS offers a popular annual edition Implementation Science Reading Course and joins the Prevention Sciences Methodology Group, led by C. Hendricks Brown, Ph.D.to offer a series of virtual grand rounds. CDIS is currently in the early stages of planning a new Master of Public Health certificate, led by Amelia Van Pelt, Ph.D., MPHin partnership with the Public Health Program of the Center for Health Sciences Education.
Collaboration with other Feinberg entities has been key to the success of CDIS. The Department of Medical Social Sciences (MSS), directed by Rinad Beidas, Ph.D.Professor Ralph Seal Paffenbarger, has been a key strategic partner. In 2023, the department announced the creation of a new Implementation Sciences Division, led by Andrea Graham, PhD, which provides an academic home and professional development center for many CDIS researchers. This year, CDIS and the MSS Division of Implementation Science are collaborating on a three-day project Academy of Implementation Sciences provide intensive training in scientific methods of implementation.
Other partner programs within Feinberg include the Center for Community Health, the Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies, the Ryan Family Center for Global Primary Care and the Center for AIDS Research.
Increase impact
Implementation science has been the focus of several major research grants awarded to Feinberg researchers. For example, in September 2024, the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Science Award was awarded. renewed with implementation science as one of three specific areas. Becker is co-leading this historic seven-year, $55 million grant with Richard D’Aquila, MDHoward Taylor Ricketts, MD, professor of Medicinein the division ofInfectious diseases and senior associate dean for clinical and translational research, andClyde Yancy, MD, MSchead and teacher of Magerstadt ofCardiologyin the Department of Medicine.
“By making implementation science methods a foundation of NUCATS’ work, we will accelerate and catalyze research across the translational continuum to improve public health and meet the needs of all,” Becker said.
Several other recent awards to Feinberg researchers have focused on the application of evidence-based practices and across a range of clinical and community settings. A recent $3.3 million grantawarded to Beidas involves the implementation of a safe gun storage program for Illinois parents. The study, funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research, will focus on community health centers, which serve people with limited access to health care and those who often experience health inequities. Parents at these health centers will receive advice on secure firearm storage and free cable locks.
This is an example of partnering with a local nonprofit health center, Alliance Chicago, to implement evidence-based research. With gun violence a major public health issue in Chicago, this important work can save lives.
“Health centers serve our populations who need them most,” Beidas said. “Our team will collaborate with key stakeholders to better understand how clinicians can engage parents in safe firearm storage in a way that recognizes their lived experiences. For example, how to safely store firearms in situations of insecure housing or in the face of extreme community violence.
Collaborate with the health system
A number of recent implementation science grants have focused specifically on implementing evidence-based practices within the Northwestern Medicine system.
Patricia Franklin, Ph.D.professor of medical social sciences in the divisions of implementation sciences and Health determinantsis the principal investigator (PI) of contact for a new grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) focused on advancing the implementation of precision genomic medicine. The grant was awarded to a multidisciplinary research team that includes co-principal investigators Elizabeth McNally, MD, PhD , Lucy Godley, MDand Beidas, along with a team of investigators including Becker, Scott, Cory Bradley, Ph.D., MPH, Rex Chisholm, Ph.D.and others.
The grant brings together key researchers with expertise in health systems learning; implementation science; and genetic cardiovascular and cancer medicine to advance our Northwestern Genetics-Based Learning Health System (Northwestern gLHS).
Franklin said this project aims to bring new evidence-based practices into the clinic and go beyond research findings to reap the benefits.
Another grant, awarded by the Patient Center Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), is led by Northwestern Medicine and Kevin O’Leary, MDJohn T. Clarke Professor of Medicine and vice president of quality at Northwestern Memorial Healthcare. Feinberg’s implementing scientists include Franklin, Scott, Beidas, and Becker.
In collaboration with researchers from Feinberg and Alliance Chicago, a network of community health centers, this PCORI Health System Implementation Initiative provides federal funding to implement an evidence-based intervention lifestyle that will support weight loss for primary care patients served by Northwestern Medicine and Alliance. Chicago. The grant supports primary care physicians working to implement federally funded research that includes lifestyle intervention for weight loss.
These implementation science projects will change the way care is delivered, according to Franklin. “Method evolution involves behavioral and systems change, coaching and engagement of patients, clinicians and health system leaders,” she said. “It is a science that aims to bring research into the clinic to improve health care and health outcomes for members of our communities. »
The work being done across departments and within CDIS strengthens Northwestern as a national leader in the rapidly growing field of implementation science.
CDIS has grown exponentially over the past two years and is not expected to slow down. Becker’s goal for the center is threefold: 1) achieve broad recognition as a national leader in implementation science; 2) foster the next generation of implementation scientists and practitioners by becoming a center for training and education; 3) galvanize collaborations within the Northwest community toward a common goal of improving public health and health equity.