The GACD Implementation Science School is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for early- and mid-career researchers to build their knowledge, skills, and confidence in the fields of implementation science and non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries.
The GACD will deliver an Implementation Science School over two and a half weeks between 26 September and 12 October 2022. The training will be accessible entirely online, run in synchronous and asynchronous sessions to accommodate different time zones.
This two and a half-week intensive training event will be facilitated by some of the field’s most prominent global experts and aims to train early- and mid-career researchers who have an interest in non-communicable diseases about the field of implementation science in low- and middle-income countries.
Through expert-led lectures, small group sessions, facilitated group work, and panel discussions, trainees will learn how to study and implement research findings into policy and practice, select and apply theories, models, and frameworks, and create a professional network for future collaborations.
Contributing expert faculty include
- Prof Brian Oldenburg – Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and La Trobe University
- Dr Ed Gregg – Imperial College London, United Kingdom
- Prof Lijing Yan – Duke Kunshan University, China
- Prof Pilvikki Absetz – Tampere University, Finland
- Dr Vilma Irazola – Instituto de Efectividad Clinica y Sanitaria (IECS), Argentina & Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health, USA
- Dr Rachel Sturke – Fogarty International Center, NIH, USA
- Dr Rajesh Vedanthan – NYU Langone School of Medicine, USA
- Dr Zahra Aziz – Monash University, Australia
Eligibility
Up to 40 international trainees will be selected for the 2022 Implementation Science School through a competitive application process. The 2022 Implementation Science School is being offered at no cost to trainees.
Eligible applicants include people who meet one of the following criteria:
- Have completed or are undertaking postgraduate coursework or research related to health science or public health (or a related field)
- Have recently completed a PhD relevant to implementation science
- Are other relevant graduates with up to 5 years research experience
Preference will be given to:
- Applicants whose research or studies are connected with GACD projects or are focused on non-communicable diseases.
- Applicants from low- and middle-income countries.
- Early- and mid-career applicants undertaking their research within low- and middle-income countries or in vulnerable Indigenous populations.
To ensure international diversity, trainees from any one institution may be limited. Attendees from previous GACD Implementation Science Schools will not be eligible for this event.
Dates and times
As a global training event, the programme will be delivered across multiple time zones and there is a possibility that plenary sessions will be either very early in the morning or late at night for some trainees. Selected trainees are expected to demonstrate a commitment to this activity and attend all the required sessions during the programme.
Below are the schedule dates and time of the six plenary sessions and five group sessions. Selected trainees are expected to attend ALL plenary sessions. Trainees will be split into two groups based on their local time zone; trainees are expected to attend ALL the relevant group sessions (A or B).
Trainee orientation session: Thursday 22 September @ 11:30 to 12:30 UTC
Session 1 Introduction to implementation science
Plenary session 1: Monday 26 September 11:30 to 13:00 UTC | Group session 1A: Monday 26 September 13:30 UTC (up to 2 hours) | Group session 1B: Tuesday 27 September @ 06:00 UTC (up to 2 hours)
Session 2 The nuts and bolts of implementation science
Plenary session 2: Wednesday 28 September 11:30 to 13:00 UTC | Group session 2A: Wednesday 28 September 13:30 UTC (up to 2 hours) | Group session 2B: Thursday 29 September @ 06:00 UTC (up to 2 hours)
Session 3 Stakeholder engagement
Plenary session 3: Monday 3 October 11:30 to 13:00 UTC | Group session 3A: Monday 3 October 13:30 UTC (up to 2 hours) | Group session 3B: Tuesday 4 October @ 06:00 UTC (up to 2 hours)
Session 4 A population perspective for implementation research
Plenary session 4: Wednesday 5 October 11:30 to 13:00 UTC | Group session 4A: Wednesday 5 October 13:30 UTC (up to 2 hours) | Group session 4B: Thursday 6 October @ 06:00 UTC (up to 2 hours)
Session 5 Research funding, capacity strengthening, and career development
Plenary session 5: Monday 10 October 11:30 to 13:00 UTC | Group session 5A: Monday 10 October 13:30 UTC (up to 2 hours) | Group session 5B: Tuesday 11 October @ 06:00 UTC (up to 2 hours)
Session 6 Team presentations and reflections
Plenary session 6: Wednesday 12 October @ 11:30 to 13:00 UTC
All times are given in Universal Coordinated Time (UTC).
Times and dates are subject to change. We will do our best to minimise sessions being scheduled in the middle of the night and the above timings may change depending on the location of the selected trainees.
Required preparation for selected trainees
Selected trainees are asked to watch all the lecture recording under the Fundamentals of Implementation Science Programme on the GACD Implementation Science e-Hub in advance of the School start date. This consists of 23 lectures across seven modules.
Applications
Applicants will be asked to submit the following information during the application process for consideration by the selection committee:
1. Your personal details.
2. A structured abstract of an implementation science project you are working on or would like to work on in the future, detailing:
- Project title and associated institution or organisation.
- The implementation problem or gap that your project is seeking to address.
- The extent of the problem or issue in your location of interest, or similar locations (local, regional, national).
- The barriers and enablers to your identified evidence-implementation gap.
- Implementation strategies you are considering / planning to use / currently using to overcome the problem.
- Research methods you are considering / planning to use / currently using to evaluate these strategies.
- Your curriculum vitae (CV) / resume (two pages, maximum).
- Letter of support from your mentor or supervisor describing your suitability for this school, confirming your time commitment to the course, and how the skills you acquire will be applied after this training (one page, maximum).
- A photograph of yourself for inclusion in a handbook shared with other trainees (PNG, JPG, JPEG files only).
Should you be accepted for the GACD Implementation Science School 2022, your abstract will be included in a handbook that will be shared with the other trainees. It is important that this information be shared to maximise the benefits of the group work components.
Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application in the week beginning 15 August 2022.
Apply now via the online application form here.
