Letter from the Directors


Greetings from the UTHealth Houston Institute for Implementation Science! We're thrilled to introduce the latest edition of our newsletter, your go-to resource for staying updated on all the latest opportunities and developments at the IIS. Read on to stay informed about events, training programs, funding opportunities, and career openings.


In this issue, you’ll find details on the upcoming Global Implementation Science and Society for Implementation Research Collaboration Conferences, continuing education courses in May, along with valuable insights into current grant and publication opportunities. Additionally, we currently have two open positions with the IIS that we hope will be of interest.


We’re also excited to share some of the great implementation science contributions made by Institute Members with a spotlight on recent work by Dr. Tricia Zucker (Children's Learning Institute).


Thank you for reading!


María E. Fernández and Bijal Balasubramanian, Co-Directors of the UTHealth Houston Institute for Implementation Science.

Highlights

UTHealth Houston and UT Austin Researchers Establish Multiple Sclerosis Implementation Network


We are excited to announce the Multiple Sclerosis Implementation Network (MSIN), a practice-based research network and learning collaborative of Multiple Sclerosis researchers and clinicians.

Researchers at UTHealth Houston have begun a $3 million dollar, 2-year project to develop the MSIN. Working with partners at UT Austin Dell Medical School, the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA), and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, we aim to advance MS research and care across the United States.

Read the Full Story

Implementation Science Centers in Cancer Control Meeting


Institute Co-Director María E. Fernández delivered the keynote for the National Cancer Institute's annual Implementation Science Centers in Cancer Control (ISC3) grantee meeting earlier this month. The meeting involved many important presentations and discussions around implementation science pilots, global IS opportunities, and support for early-career investigators.

Learn More about ISC3

Members Corner

Member Spotlight

Tricia A. Zucker, PhD

Professor, UTHealth Houston McGovern Medical School 

Albert and Margaret Alkek Distinguished Chair in Early Childhood Development 

Harriet and Joe Foster Distinguished Professor 

Co-Director, Children's Learning Institute, Department of Pediatrics

Dr. Tricia Zucker serves as the Co-Director of the Children’s Learning Institute (CLI) at UTHealth Houston, where she helps oversee the CLI’s strategic priorities to advance learning and health outcomes for all children in research, resource development, clinical programs, and service delivery. Her research focuses on children who are at-risk for learning disabilities, with particular interest in early identification and prevention of reading disabilities, evidence-based curriculum and instruction, effective use of technology for learning, family- and school-based interventions, and early childhood assessment. 


In recent years, Dr. Zucker has led several studies on the conditions that best support implementation of a family-focused program aimed at sparking an early interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) for pre-kindergarten children, “Teaching Together STEM.” Early STEM outside-of-school experiences help children to see themselves as someone who is capable of “doing science” and may create pathways for engaging in STEM courses and careers across the lifespan. She and her co-authors have published papers on in-person, virtual, and hybrid modalities of the program.  





This series of studies worked with Children’s Museum Houston outreach educators to investigate the promise of the program for increasing parents’ involvement in STEM as well as various implementation strategies and outcomes. A few noteworthy findings include:


  • When providing parents with small monetary incentives for doing informal STEM activities, monetary incentives were found to have a small short-term benefit that did not persist at a follow-up timepoint when the incentives ended (Zucker et al., 2022)
  • When comparing in-person, virtual, and hybrid delivery systems, the effects for the behavioral outcome of parent involvement were found to be larger for in-person modalities (Zucker et al., 2022) relative to the hybrid modality (Zucker et al., 2024)
  • When examining family attendance at a series of training workshops, overall attendance was lower than desired (25% to 34%). In one sample troubling patterns that were found that parents with less education attended fewer events (Zucker et al., 2022), but in another replication sample the opposite was found, that lower education related to higher attendance rates.


"We will continue to explore determinants of attending informal STEM events, as the mission of both the research team and museum educators is to broaden access to early, informal STEM experiences for families experiencing poverty and historically underrepresented in STEM fields," said Dr. Zucker.

Implementation Science Consultations


The Institute for Implementation Science offers expert implementation science consultation on dissemination and implementation measures, study designs and methods, tools and frameworks, strategies, and general guidance and tips for writing implementation science proposals.


Consultation services are available free of charge to all UTHealth and MD Anderson Faculty.


Learn More.

Exclusive member discounts are available for our May short courses and the Global Implementation Science Conference in Houston. Please contact us for details.

Tell us what you are doing! (IS-related research, grants awards, publications, etc.). Follow the ink to submit your work!

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Upcoming Events

Global Implementation Science Conference


May 29th, 2024

IMM Building, 1825 Pressler St, Houston TX, 77030

Virtual Option Available


The Global Implementation Society (GIS), in collaboration with the UTHealth Houston Institute for Implementation Science, is hosting a one-day conference for researchers, faculty, and students to gain insights from experts in the field and expand your implementation science community!


Institute for Implementation Science Members receive a discount for registration!

Register Now

Short Courses in Implementation Science


We offer a number of short courses relevant to those with an interest in implementation science through the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health. These courses are open to the public for a small fee.


Institute member discounts are available; please contact us for details.


Adapting Evidence-based Interventions 

May 28, 2024, 9 AM - 4 PM CT 

Instructors: Jacob Szeszulski, PhD, Patricia Dolan Mullen, DrPH, and Eunyoung Kang, PhD

Register now


Implementation Mapping: Using Intervention Mapping to Plan Implementation Strategies 

May 30-31, 2024 Instructors: María E. Fernández, PhD & Serena Rodriguez, PhD

Registration for this course is full. Thank you to everyone who registered – we look forward to seeing you!

2024 Society for Implementation Research Collaboration Conference


September 27-28, 2024

Denver, Colorado


Registration is open for the 2024 Society for Implementation Research Collaboration (SIRC) Conference. This year's theme is Strategic Synergy: Implementation Research, Practice and Policy for Impact.

Learn More

UT Austin Implementation Science Networking Event TX 78701


June 7, 2024, 10AM - 1PM 1836 San Jacinto Blvd., Austin, TX 787016


All SPH faculty members and IIS members are invited to join us for a special networking lunch event featuring presentations and breakout sessions with leading experts in implementation science. This event provides a valuable opportunity to network and collaborate with your colleagues and experts from the IIS, fostering growth in implementation science.

RSVP Now

Other News

Implementation Science Talk by Dr. Bo Wang


In April, the Institute and the UTHealth Houston Department of Biostatistics and Data Science hosted a presentation by Dr. Bo Wang, a professor in the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School.


You can view a recording of Dr. Wang's Talk, "National Implementation of an Evidence-based HIV Prevention Program among Bahamian Adolescents," online now.

View the Recording

Opportunities

Grants


National Institutes of Health:





Publications


Journal of Clinical and Translational Science 


Themed issue: Advancing Understanding and Use of Impact Measures in Implementation Science


Submissions should be made online via the Journal’s ScholarOne submission site by May 27, 2024.


Authors are asked to select “Advancing Understanding and Use of Impact Measures in Implementation Science” in the Themed Issue submission question when submitting to this.

Training


Dissemination & Implementation Science Certificate


This new, 15-credit hour certificate introduces the concepts of dissemination and implementation to students and other health professionals. The concepts learned while pursuing this certificate will assist researchers and practitioners in translating and testing research advances in public health and healthcare delivery to effective and efficient interventions in multiple settings.


Participants will learn how to:



  • Describe the foundations of dissemination and implementation (D&I) science
  • Explain the D&I theories and frameworks
  • Develop and tailor strategies for implementation and dissemination
  • Engage in community and stakeholder based implementation and dissemination research
  • Design, analyze, measure, and evaluate the different outcomes
  • Gain knowledge to adapt health interventions to improve fit in new settings.
Learn More

Open Positions at IIS

Faculty


The Institute for Implementation Science is hiring for a tenure-track faculty position to join our growing team! Please share the attached flyer with anyone who may be interested.

Learn More
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