Yale Scholars in Implementation Science Abstract The proposed program aims to improve health and health care in the United States by developing the next generation of implementation scientists skilled in research, knowledge translation, and leadership. Reducing the lag between the generation and the adoption of evidence to support clinical, organizational and policy decisions was identified as a national priority by the National Academy of Medicine in 2010. Far too few investigators are trained in dissemination and implementation science, with the skills to engage a broad range of stakeholders as partners and to translate research into action. The proposed program will: [Aim 1] Develop scientists with the knowledge, skills, and ability to become independent investigators in implementation science; [Aim 2] Build a cadre of knowledge translators who collaborate successfully with stakeholders, including community partners, to identify and address barriers to implementing evidence in practice and policy. [Aim 3] Enhance their capacity to serve effectively in leadership roles on broadly inclusive multidisciplinary research teams. This proposal has three distinguishing characteristics: (1) Faculty mentors representing an extraordinary breadth of disciplines from a wide array of schools within Yale, including Medicine, Nursing, Public Health, and Management, and areas within medicine, including internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine, critical care medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and psychiatry; (2) Intense engagement with the broader New Haven community, with key partners and mentors including the local Department of Health, a federally qualified health center, and several local nonprofit organizations serving the homeless, recent immigrants, and medically underserved communities, and (3) Novel use of social network modeling to assess the professional development and progress of YSIS Scholars. The curriculum includes coursework developed especially for this program, along with longstanding courses that have trained a generation of scholars in Yale's Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, the Investigative Medicine Program, and Schools of Public Health and Management. Scholars will also develop and conduct at least one major research project with close mentorship from national and international experts in heart, lung, blood, and sleep medicine. Eligible Scholars will receive a Masters in Health Services degree. Training duration will be three years, with coursework based upon Scholars' needs and prior training. We anticipate recruiting three Scholars in Year Two, and two Scholars in Year Three. Candidates must: a) have a Doctoral Degree (MD, DO, PhD, or equivalent) from an accredited program and b) be a United States citizen or non-citizen national, or be lawfully admitted for permanent residence. In addition, the following qualifications are essential: a) evidence of a strong commitment to implementation science; b) a solid record of academic excellence in fields of previous academic or clinical training; c) dedication to work with stakeholders as partners and to focus on dissemination and implementation of evidence-based practice.
The primary goal of the program is to improve healthcare and the health of the population in the United States by developing dissemination and implementation (D&I) scientists skilled in research, moving evidence-based findings from research into practice, and leadership. Scholars will learn to apply a diverse set of tools to D&I of evidence-based treatments, diagnostics, and policies in a variety of settings including medical centers and hospitals, public health agencies, community-based organizations and health centers, and government. Given the expertise of faculty and the resources in our community, we will focus on patients with heart, lung, blood, or sleep disorders in all healthcare settings.
