Research in Implementation Science for Equity (RISE)

The overarching goals of the UCSF Research in Implementation Science for Equity (RISE) Program are to train and sustain scholars underrepresented in biomedical sciences for long-term success in academic careers pursuing innovative research of interest to the NHLBI. The RISE Summer Institute’s goal is to provide methodological training on Implementation Science (ImS), a set of methodologies that aligns well with research priorities of NHLBI and will enhance the ability of scholars underrepresented in biomedical sciences to conduct innovative research and compete successfully for NIH resources. Implementation Science (ImS), is a branch of research that focuses on “use of strategies to adopt and integrate evidence-based health interventions and change practice patterns within specific settings”. ImS holds particular promise as a mechanism to address the disproportionate burden of cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases in minority communities and the challenges in treatments of these conditions. The ImS training has additional benefits of being set of skills that is both accessible and applicable to researchers from broad existing backgrounds. The goals of RISE align well with NHLBI’s recently launched Center for Translation Research and Implementation Science (CTRIS) that has been established to support integrated and coordinated research to understand multifactorial processes associated with translating evidence into practice.

Specifically, the RISE Implementation Sciences Institute will include:

Didactic sessions comprising a multi-disciplinary set of theories and methods aimed at improving the process of translation of research evidence into every day health-related practices, in particular examining how interventions can be better integrated into diverse practice settings with a community-engaged approach;
Provide the conceptual thinking that orients scholars’ research on heart and lung disease topics;
Sessions on conduct of research to include ImS strategies and study/evaluation designs;
Application of ImS concepts to create inter-disciplinary implementation teams

Table 1. Competencies in Implementation Science Institute (ImSI)

Domain	Competency	Competency-Directed ImSI Activities
Team Science	Develop skills to participate in and lead collaborative, multidisciplinary teams that shares a common language, and promote a blending of disciplines. Engage in collaborative ImS writing, including the production of grants and manuscripts.	Understanding concepts from lectures and case studies Participation in group work, attend and facilitate multidisciplinary works-in-progress seminars Grant application and submission Mock study sections
Community Engagement Skills	Understand how to co-create projects with community members and community-based organizations, in order to engage multiple perspectives on the problem.	Individual research and implementation projects
Designing ImS Interventions	Integrate diverse disciplinary, stakeholder and community perspectives into a cogent intervention design and/or implementation and dissemination strategy. Utilize a comprehensive implementation framework, to guide the integration of theory with specific intervention, evaluation and dissemination activities.	Small group, multidisciplinary works-in-progress seminars Biostatistical consultations
Evaluate impact of translational activity	Gain skills in developing qualitative and quasi-experimental designs to plan, implement, and evaluate interventions and policy impact. Determine and measure processes and outcomes that support iterative cycles of implementation and bidirectional flow of information, including mixed methods instrument development and designs.	Small group, multidisciplinary works-in-progress seminars Quasi-experimental designs

The UCSF RISE Summer Institute also consists of the Careers-In-Progress (CIP) component with sessions designed to strengthen self-efficacy for career development, including building skills for paper writing, grant writing, oral communications, and information sessions on the NIH, particularly NHLBI delivered in a program that is grounded in social cognitive career theory and specifically addresses the needs identified in the literature as being crucial for the success of under-represented minority targeted training programs.

The UCSF-RISE program has an explicit goal of developing and sustaining robust mentoring and research networks, including those among UCSF-RISE scholars, between scholars and UCSF Mentors as well as Mentors at the UCSF-RISE scholars’ home institutions, and broader national networks of investigators engaged in cardiovascular or pulmonary disease research or using ImS methodology. Robust networks of this type will assure the long-term success of UCSF-RISE scholars.

Two-Year Commitment: The RISE program spans two years and includes the following key components:
- Year 1 Summer Commitment: A two-week summer engagement, with one week in person in San Francisco, one week virtual.
- Year 2 Summer Requirement: One week in person in San Francisco.
- Monthly Virtual WIP Meetings: Regular virtual works-in-progress (WIP) meetings for RISE scholars to present their ongoing research and receive constructive feedback from RISE faculty and peers
- Regular Virtual Mentoring Sessions: ongoing meetings with assigned RISE mentors throughout the year
- Mid-Year Virtual Meeting: A virtual meeting held in December
- PRIDE Annual Meeting: Attendance at the annual PRIDE meeting in Maryland, in April

The UCSF RISE program is part of NHLBI’s Program to Increase Diversity among Individuals Engaged in Health-Related Research (PRIDE). This is an all-expense paid program for junior faculty and transitioning post-doctorates from diverse backgrounds to enable them to become competitive independent scientists. The scholars will have access to an extensive network of faculty and other scholars which we believe will greatly enhance their experience in addition to skills development in Implementation Sciences which is a focus area for the NHLBI.