Innovations for Building Implementation Science Capacity among Researchers and Policymakers: The Depth and Diffusion Model

While many interventions have reduced transmission of HIV or increased access to HIV care, fewer have been scaled-up or sustained. Implementation science (IS) maximizes the population-level impact of interventions, but globally, knowledge about IS among researchers and policymakers is limited, particularly in low and middle-income countries. This gap can be addressed through an innovative IS training model, the Depth and Diffusion Model, that can be used to build implementation science capacity to increase equity in the distribution of global implementation science training programs.

In the Depth and Diffusion Model, depth creates an in-country institution as a leader in IS research and training; diffusion ensures the spread of fundamental IS knowledge across universities and governmental agencies throughout the country. We are using the Depth and Diffusion Model in the Vietnam Implementation Science Advancement Program (VISA), a case study of applying this model in practice. VISA’s goals are to: (1) initiate the Hanoi Medical University Implementation Science Program; (2) develop IS knowledge and research capacity among four universities in Vietnam; and (3) cultivate IS capacity among Vietnamese policymakers and health program leaders.

The Depth and Diffusion Model is being used to efficiently scale-up IS knowledge among researchers and policymakers, while fostering collaboration to increase impact of research and policies. By the end of VISA, HIV-related IS capacity will be well-established in Vietnam, demonstrating how the Depth and Diffusion Model can be a blueprint for adoption of IS research and practice in a country with limited previous IS capacity.