The Research Program will use three strategies to inform iDAPT?s emerging theme to use technologies that support rapid cycle and real time deployment and testing of implementation processes and adaptations within cancer control. First, the Research Program will advance the science of technology-supported implementation science in cancer control through a series of proposed pilot projects conducted in the Implementation Lab. Second, it will advance the methods and measurement for implementation science using technology via methods pilot projects and support of the Implementation Studies Unit. Third, the Research Program will identify and nurture nascent ideas for new cancer-focused Implementation Science proposals with high potential for extramural funding, with an emphasis on assisting students, junior faculty, and underrepresented populations. The Research Program will lead with two pilot studies aligned with our emerging theme of technology-facilitated implementation science. The first is a highly innovative implementation pilot study that will address a gap in survivorship care. Using a stepped-wedge design in 10 oncology clinics, we will test an electronic referral mechanism and computer-tailored communication and intelligent automation to facilitate shared decision making and survivorship care planning in-between clinical visits. The methods study will advance the field of implementation science in cancer control by testing the feasibility of using an automated communication pattern monitoring and feedback system to facilitate implementation programs designed to improve communication between clinical teams and between clinical teams and patient. This study will create manually annotated reference standard for natural language processing (NLP), train and validate the NLP system, test the system among patients undergoing smoking cessation treatment, and then build and test a prototype system to monitor communication extracted from secure messages over time. Both of these iDAPT vanguard pilot studies are led by junior faculty. The Research Program will seek additional pilot research through a defined process for soliciting, reviewing and selecting promising studies using a validated approach for evaluating implementation research proposals for a total of 8-10 pilot studies. The Research Program depends upon a high degree of collaboration across the cores to ensure that the selection of pilot studies reflects laboratory member needs (Administrative Core Evaluation Unit), that laboratory members are engaged and have knowledge and skills to serve as equal partners in the research process (Implementation laboratory), and that the knowledge gained from the pilot studies builds the field of implementation science in cancer control aligned with iDAPT?s emerging theme of technology-facilitated implementation science (Administrative Core Network Unit). The Research Program is led by Dr. Thomas Houston (MPI) who is Professor and Chief, Health Informatics and Implementation Science Division at UMMS and is an elected fellow in the American College of Medical Informatics.
