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Geoffrey Curran, Ph.D., discusses the opportunities for science of implementation with the participants of the Translational Research Institute Research Expo.
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| In biomedical research, some leaders not only progress their fields but also build communities around him. Geoffrey Curran, Ph.D., is one of these leaders. Since he joined the University of Arkansas for the Medical Sciences (UAMS) in 1999, his name has become synonymous with the science of implementation, not only in Arkansas, but around the world.
The course of Curran in the implementation sciences began at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS), which launched in 1998 a program focused on the implementation of mental health directives as part of a new program national in the veterans department.
“It was very proactive and focused on intervention, and I was excited about this because it dressed up on my training in sociology,” said Curran, whose doctorate is in this area.
Experience has laid the foundations for its leadership at the UAMS Center for Implementation Research and the Implementation Sciences Program of the Institute of Translational Research of the UAMS, where it has favored a flourishing environment For interdisciplinary collaboration.
Make the field
Curran’s contributions are large, extending beyond UAMS and have an impact on the way the science of implementation is understood and practiced in the United States and beyond.
He recently represented the UAMS at the annual meeting of Clinical Sciences and Translational Science (CTSA) organized by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. Presenting on behalf of the Translational Research Institute, Curran was part of only five CTSA representatives of the 60 -year -old consortium invited to discuss innovative projects. The Institute’s project, led by Curran, will use the implementation sciences to fight against disparities in the delivery of practices based on evidence in health care.
“The science of implementation, by definition, is aligned with the science of translation,” said Curran, a professor at the Pharmacy and Chair College, with the practice of pharmacy.
In A publication of November 2024 On the strengthening of the capacity of research and research of implementation, Curran was listed as the fourth row expert of “grant advice” and “professional advice” in the field on the basis of an investigation With 482 researchers in the United States and Canada. He also ranked sixth for “all types of advice” and “research advice”.
Curran inauguration 2012 “Hybrid” studies document 2012Who came from his work in Cavhs, revolutionized how researchers merge clinical efficiency studies with the search for implementation.
“This approach has become a common and default way that people study this kind of thing now in our field.”
Sara Landes, Ph.D., Associate Director of the Center for Implementation Research and key member of the Curran team, said that the document was deeply influential, the manager of the VA Palo Alto health care system in Palo Alto, in California, at UAMS and Cavhs in 2015.
Sara Landes, Ph.D.
“When I read it, I was breathtaking and it became a historic concept,” said Landes, an associate professor of the Psychiatry Department and Director of the Research Research Program Research on quality improvement of the health of veterans. Curran paper has become one of the most cited articles on the ground (more than 3,400 times).
Curran’s unique capacity to help researchers communicate complex concepts has also been transformed for the field.
“His practice to refer to” the thing “that you implement helps to break the barriers between the disciplines and allows researchers to work towards a common objective,” said Landes.
He wrote on this approach in another signature article: “The science of implementation made too simple: A teaching tool. “It was cited 125 times in four years.
Implementation in action: impacting Arkansas
As part of Curran’s leadership, the Institute’s implementation science program has equipped 19 clinicians with the skills necessary to improve local practice, which directly concerns patient care in Arkansas.
“The program is relatively new because it focuses on front line clinicians, not researchers,” said Curran.
He and Landes say that it is deeply rewarding to see the motivated clinicians acquire new skills, deploy strategies and measure their impact.
“It’s incredible to see our work translates directly into improved care for patients in our system,” he said.
Cultivate a collaborative ecosystem
Curran’s vision extends beyond publications and subsidies; He cultivated a dynamic interdisciplinary community at UAMS.
“We are attracting researchers from the five UAMS colleges, and the environment is incredibly welcoming,” said Landes. “We have researchers who lead from Fayetteville to attend our events because they appreciate this collaborative spirit. It is unique and it is a testimony to Geoff’s vision. »»
Mentorship is at the heart of Curran’s approach. “Geoff is more than an expert, he is a team champion,” said Landes. “He actively creates opportunities for others. It is not him; It is a question of strengthening expertise and promoting growth through the field. »»
During a recent conference on the implementation sciences, Curran launched a panel on overcoming the challenges of research.
“He openly shared study stories that did not go as planned and how he approached these roadblocks,” said Landes. “The session overflowed because its transparency resonates with the researchers.”
Construction connections
Beyond his professional achievements, Curran cultivates a feeling of belonging within the UAMS community, which Landes lived personally.
While she was driving from California to Little Rock in 2015, Landes tried without success to follow a game involving her favorite baseball team – Chicago Cubs. For his greatest pleasure, Curran had an eye on the game and held it up to date via texts.
“I knew when I came to the right place to work with the right person,” said Landes.