Fundamentals of Implementation Science: Core Concepts, Practical Tools, and Methods | May 25-29, 2026 

COURSE FORMAT

Online only. Live sessions will be from Monday to Friday between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm Montreal Time (EST). 

DESCRIPTION

This course builds core implementation science competencies to support the translation of evidence into practice, with an explicit focus on equity. Participants develop the skills to diagnose implementation barriers and enablers, design and tailor implementation strategy packages, and plan robust evaluation approaches. Advanced methods studios provide in-depth exploration of implementation trial design, implementation science–informed systematic reviews, economic considerations for scale-up, and equity-focused impact assessment.

COURSE DIRECTOR

Dr. Guillaume Fontaine, RN, PhD, ID
Assistant Professor and Director of the McGill RISE Implementation Science Lab, Ingram School of Nursing, McGill University
Associate Member, Department of Global and Public Health, McGill University
Principal Investigator, Centre for Clinical Epidemiology, Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research
Co-Lead, Implementation Science, CIHR/PHAC Canadian Network on Hepatitis C
Co-Lead, Methods, CIHR Pan-Canadian HIV and STBBIs Clinical Trials Research Network

CONTENT

The course is built around a practical “end-to-end” implementation pathway that works across all settings: participants will learn to turn a broad challenge into a precise implementation problem, identify and prioritize determinants, and then design a small, coherent implementation strategy package that is realistic for the resources, workflows, and realities of their setting. Learning is grounded in real-world cases spanning hospital/health system redesign, resource-constrained delivery (including common LMIC constraints like workforce gaps, task sharing, and limited data infrastructure), and national scale-up. Participants also get hands-on exposure to fit-for-purpose evaluation: hybrid and quasi-experimental designs, pragmatic measurement of implementation outcomes (including fidelity and adaptation tracking), and practical costing/budget impact considerations to strengthen scale-up decisions for ministries, health systems, NGOs, and funders.  The week closes by looking at contemporary and novel areas in the field, including how AI can support implementation work.

Faculty 

• Dr. Guillaume Fontaine, McGill University
• Dr. Geoffrey Curran, Center for Implementation Research, UAMS 
• Dr. Sylvie D. Lambert, McGill University 
• Dr. Natalie Taylor, UNSW Sydney 
• Dr. Marilyn N. Ahun, McGill University  
• Dr. Christine Fahim, University of Toronto 
• Dr. Sonia Semenic, McGill University
• Dr. Sonia Castiglione, McGill University Health Centre 
• Dr. Andria B. Eisman, University of Michigan
• Dr. Andrea M. Patey, IWK Health 
• Ms. Meagan Mooney, McGill University 
• Ms. Laura Crump, McGill University
• Dr. Kelly Aschbrenner, Center for Implementation Science, Dartmouth
• Dr. Justin D. Smith, University of Utah
• Ms. Caitlyn Reardon, VA Center for Healthcare Evaluation, Research, and Promotion

OBJECTIVES

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Describe core concepts, terminology, and principles of implementation science and explain why evidence often fails to achieve impact in real-world settings
• Define and diagnose implementation problems using structured approaches, including behavior specification, process mapping, and problem framing
• Apply implementation theories, models, and frameworks to guide problem diagnosis, strategy selection, and evaluation, with attention to equity
• Engage in research co-production and integrated knowledge translation to adapt evidence-based interventions to diverse and resource-constrained settings
• Design implementation strategy packages that link determinants to mechanisms of action and measurable outcomes
• Select appropriate implementation study designs and measurement strategies, including hybrid designs, process evaluations, and adaptation tracking
• Incorporate economic evaluation, costing, and budget impact considerations into planning for implementation and scale-up
• Assess feasibility, equity, fidelity, adaptation, and sustainment when planning implementation strategies
• Develop a feasible, equity-informed, and fundable implementation protocol informed by real-world case studies

TARGET AUDIENCE

• Program implementers, clinicians, policymakers, and NGO and public health managers
• Researchers, trainees, and analysts entering the field of implementation science
• Donors, funders, and monitoring and evaluation professionals
• Public health and health policy students
• Community advocates and civil society

ENROLMENT

Limited to 150 participants.