Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health: Translating Science to Practice

The ultimate guide to dissemination and implementation research for public health, medicine, and the social sciences

In the past twenty years, dissemination and implementation (D&I) research has sought to narrow the gap between the discovery of new knowledge and its application in public health, mental health, and health care settings. The challenges of moving research to practice and policy are universal, and future progress calls for collaborative partnerships and cross-country research. The fundamental tenet of D&I research-taking what we know about improving health and putting it into practice-must be the highest priority.

Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health is the definitive roadmap to effecting change in health and science from today's leading D&I researchers. With insights from around the globe, these scholars collectively address key issues in the field including how to evaluate evidence based on effective interventions, how to design an appropriate study, and how to track a set of essential outcomes. Their work has been updated in this third edition with a strong focus on health equity and new chapters on de-implementation, scale-up and sustainment, and training and capacity building. This new edition also focuses on barriers to uptake of evidence-based interventions in the communities where people live their lives and from the social service agencies, hospitals, and clinics where they receive care.

Now in its third edition, Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health remains the quintessential guide to making research more consequential for researchers and practitioners in health and the social sciences.

Ross C. Brownson is Steven H. and Susan U. Lipstein Distinguished Professor of Public Health and Director of the Prevention Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis. He studies the translation of evidence to public health practice and policy, with a content focus on environmental and policy determinants of cancer and other chronic diseases. Dr. Brownson has extensive experience in public health practice, with decades of knowledge working with state and local public health agencies in the United States and globally. To build capacity in our field, he leads or co-leads multiple training programs in D&I science.

Graham A. Colditz is Niess-Gain Professor at Washington University in St. Louis and Associate Director of the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center. He is a chronic disease epidemiologist focused on applying data to inform decisions. He has extensive experience in longitudinal studies, prevention trials, and research synthesis. He has implemented interventions in community and primary care settings and leads the award-winning www.yourdiseaserisk.wustl.edu web site team, translating research to prevention of chronic diseases through lifestyle changes. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and a Fellow of the American Association of the Advancement of Science, and he serves on the National Institutes of Health Council of Councils.

Enola K. Proctor is Shanti K. Khinduka Distingished Professor Emerita at Washington University in St. Louis. Her research on quality of mental health care, chronic disease management, and implementation of evidence-based practice had been supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. She has championed evidence-based practice in social work and helped build the conceptual and methodological foundations of D&I science. She leads a National Institute of Mental Health-supported training program for early career D&I research scientists. An inaugural fellow in the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, she served on the National Advisory Council for the National Institute of Mental Health.