The conference explored the theme, ‘Sustaining health and public services in an uncertain future: what role for implementation science?’. Professor Nigel Healey, Vice President Global and Community Engagement, University of Limerick, introduced the conference. He said:

Covid-19 was a remarkable reminder of the importance of implementation, but it also exposed gaps in our preparedness. By using implementation science tools we can prepare better and be more resilient in the future

Professor Nigel Healey, Vice President Global and Community Engagement, University of Limerick

The conference had delegates from 13 countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Israel, Malaysia, Nigeria, the Netherlands, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, UK and USA, and included applied researchers, health and social care professionals, policymakers, and service user researchers.

The four plenary lectures explored how to make our health systems more sustainable, new approaches to carrying out more equitable community-led research, implementation outcomes, and community health interventions in the global south, and were delivered by:

  • David Pencheon, Honorary Professor, Health and Sustainable Development, University of Exeter, UK who discussed ‘The role of health systems, heath organisations and health professionals in creating fair, sustainable, and healthy futures’
  • Professor Enola Proctor, Professor of Social Work Research, Washington University, USA who reflected on ten years of implementation outcomes research
  • Dr Shaun Danquah, Centric Founder, and Muhammed Rauf, Director of Business Development, Centric, UK, on ‘The Urban Ecology – Research into Action’
  • Professor Malabika Sarker, Professor of the Practice of Behavioural and Social Science, Brown School of Public Health, Brown University, USA on ‘Sustaining community health interventions in the global south and diversifying implementation science’

Across the conference, there were 100 oral presentations and rapid-fire poster presentations, Q&As and a panel discussion. There were also opportunities for delegates to meet in smaller groups with implementation science experts to discuss everything from policy dissemination and implementation to economic evaluation and strategies for scale up.

The oral presentation abstracts have been published by BMC in a special supplement of Implementation Science.

Prize winners

At the close of the conference, there were four prizes awarded for the best oral and rapid-fire presentations, in association with Frontiers in Health Services. They were:

A collaborative effort to deliver the hybrid format 

The conference was organised by NIHR ARC South London, the Health Implementation Science and Technology Cluster (HIST) at the University of Limerick and the Centre for Implementation Science at King’s College London. It was supported by the Centre for Evidence and Implementation, King's Health Partners, Frontiers in Health Services and BMC.

Implementation Science Masterclass 2023

The conference was part of a week of events organised by NIHR ARC South London dedicated to implementation science, the study and practice of implementing research findings effectively into health, social care and public services. Our two-day Implementation Science Masterclass, featured lectures from international experts, group workshops and advice on how to work on your own implementation projects, attracting 90 delegates from 13 countries.

New online module in implementation science

NIHR ARC South London has launched a new short course for health and social care practitioners, policymakers and researchers interested in learning more about implementation science. The module runs for six weeks and starts in October 2023. 

Find out more