Implementation Science

Evidence-based interventions are a crucial component to fighting a wide array of domestic and global crises. However, the integration of these interventions into health care institutions and community-based organizations is often overlooked. Using a variety of research approaches, our experts work to improve our understanding of how to catalyze the uptake of evidence-based interventions into different settings, especially within public health. Recent studies include proven interventions designed to prevent and/or treat chronic diseases, including cancer, diabetes, HIV, and sickle cell, prevent opioid overdose deaths, and motivate behavioral change. 

With the multidisciplinary field of implementation science, our experts apply implementation science theories, models and frameworks to understand barriers and facilitators to adoption of interventions and to guide program evaluation. Our research focuses on developing and identifying strategies that can improve implementation efforts—and learning how strategies work and can be adapted to different settings. 

Our experts conduct rigorous implementation science studies, using a mixture of quantitative and qualitative approaches. We work collaboratively with key stakeholders, including implementers, clinicians, community members, government agencies, advocacy organizations and other researchers, to develop approaches that are contextually and culturally appropriate. We collaborate with investigators through multi-site consortia to plan and execute implementation-focused research study designs. With these efforts, we aim to catalyze the use of more evidence-based interventions into real-world practice. 

RTI’s Implementation Science experts have worked with variety of funding agencies, including: 

• National Cancer Institute (NCI) 
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) 
• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) 
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) 
• Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) 
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA)