UTHealth Houston-hosted Global Implementation Science Conference Draws Worldwide Attendance
Published: July 1, 2024
The UTHealth Houston Institute for Implementation Science partnered with the Global Implementation Society (GIS) to host the 2024 Global Implementation Science Conference: Advancing the Science and Practice of Everyday Implementation in Houston on May 29, 2024. The one-day conference brought together experts and global leaders in implementation science, with more than 130 attendees from all over the world joining both in-person and online for insightful discussions on the state of the field.
“This was the first time a conference like this has been held in Houston to bring together implementation science researchers and practitioners from across the world,” said Maria E. Fernandez, PhD, Vice President, Population Health and Implementation Science and Co-Director of the UTHealth Houston Institute for Implementation Science. “We had special sessions focusing on Latin America and on Implementation Science for Cancer Control that were designed to highlight the amazing work currently being done and the many areas that still need attention.”
The conference provided implementation science researchers an excellent opportunity to share knowledge and experiences and learn about new strategies and resources to aid in current and future research. Speakers and attendees heard expert presentations and networked with peers from across the globe, helping to build a growing community of global implementation researchers.
The theme of the conference was “Advancing the Science and Practice of Everyday Implementation,” and speakers from more than 10 different countries led discussions on a range of topics including practical approaches to implementation science, capacity building, and funding opportunities for global implementation research. Highlights included presentations on telementoring, the intersection of implementation science and politics, and how to embed health equity within implementation science.
Researchers from all over the world also submitted abstracts for the conference, with 38 selected to deliver poster presentations and another 5 invited to present their research live during one of the conference’s main sessions.
“The conference exceeded all of my expectations both in the quality of presentations and the engagement of the attendees,” said Vice President Fernandez. “We already have new collaborations and networks being established as a result. For example, we have formed a new network of Spanish-speaking implementation scientists that will facilitate collaboration across Latin America and other Spanish-speaking countries and will enrich implementation research and practice for Spanish-speaking populations in the U.S. I have heard from many attendees about how much they enjoyed the conference and we are already thinking about the next one.”
The UTHealth Houston Institute for Implementation Science conducts several global implementation science initiatives, including this year’s conference and a series of virtual global implementation science talks. You can keep up with all Institute events and activities by subscribing to the Implementation Science in Action Newsletter. You can also join the new network for Spanish-speaking implementation scientists, which is currently recruiting members.
As part of their goal to promote and establish coherent and collaborative approaches to implementation practice, science, and policy, the GIS collaborates with organizations like UTHealth Houston across the world to host the Global Implementation Science Conferences. They also disseminate knowledge designed to reach global audiences in multiple languages, provide access to implementation tools, standards, strategic partnerships, and policy solutions, and publish the Global Implementation Research and Application Journal (GIRA). The next GIS conference will be held in November 2024 in Nigeria in partnership with the Nigerian Implementation Society. Registration and abstract submissions are currently open. The deadline for abstract submissions is June 15.