Implementation science and scale-up – Is there a difference?

Implementation science, as a field of study, has made a substantial contribution to improving how health interventions are delivered in real-world settings. In particular, research on implementation strategies has generated critical insights into the factors that facilitate—or hinder—successful implementation.

But how does implementation science differ from the scale-up of interventions? In this seminar, key distinctions between implementation science and scale-up will be examined, along with why these differences matter and how they can influence the implementation, uptake, and broader impact of health interventions.

Karen Lee Research Fellow (Implementation and Scale-up), Prevention Research Collaboration, Charles Perkins Centre and Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney   Karen Lee is a Research Fellow at the Prevention Research Collaboration, Charles Perkins Centre and the Sydney School of Public Health at the University of Sydney, and a Fellow of the Sydney Health Partners Implementation Science Academy. Her research interests and expertise are in the area of implementation and scale-up of chronic disease prevention, obesity prevention and physical activity programs. She is also the co-developer of the internationally recognised Intervention Scalability Assessment Tool (ISAT), which has been used extensively to assess the scalability of interventions.

This seminar is presented in collaboration with the NSW HIV PRISM Partnership, as part of their Implementation Research Practice and Evaluation Seminar Series.

Opinions expressed in the Kirby Institute Seminar Series are solely those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the Kirby Institute or UNSW.