Developments from the Consortium of Universities of Global Health (CUGH) 2024 Conference 

ByKrithika Kandavel

CUGH Deans and Directors Roundtable 2024 continues the conversation on how to advance Implementation Science 

Implementation Science Collaborative partners City University of New York (CUNY), University of California Berkeley (UCB), and University Research Co. (URC) hosted a Deans and Directors Roundtable during the 2024 Consortium of Universities of Global Health (CUGH) conference to explore the demand for a CUGH implementation science (IS) working group. This group would advance university linkages as a strategy for addressing global health and inclusive development priorities. Stakeholders discussed IS priorities, the value of the CUGH platform, and a possible mission and vision for an IS working group.   

Background: Inception of the Deans and Directors Roundtable 

The roundtable series was conceived during CUGH 2018 when CUNY, UCB, URC, Universitas Indonesia, the James P. Grant School of Public Health at BRAC University, and others agreed that they needed to create incentives and overcome barriers to greater university engagement in global implementation science. Throughout 2018, the conversation about IS stakeholder engagement and shared IS curricula continued, with convenings co-hosted by the Center for Global Development, Georgetown University Law Center’s O’Neill Institute and the American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAA), as well as at the Health Systems Research Symposium. During CUGH 2019, participants discussed the potential role of a Deans and Directors Roundtable in the ISC, with further discussion at the Global IS Conference on the role of academic leadership in strengthening demand and capacity for online implementation science training. Virtual sessions at CUGH 2022 and CUGH 2023 examined various aspects of capacity development for implementation science. 

Leveraging the Implementation Science Collaborative (ISC) 

The ISC functions to enhance levels of participation by linking universities who focus on improving health and development in low- and middle-income countries. The focus on implementation specifically is important to ensuring that research is addressing not just whether interventions work, but the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ in particular contexts. Implementation science also focuses on being responsive to and grounded in the evidence needs of implementers and policy makers, through rich stakeholder collaborations inclusive of those not typically working within the research arena. Mentorship, education, and training are at the heart of CUGH and the universities within it. Thus, collaboration between CUGH and the ISC could make a meaningful impact. It is important to engage users of IS evidence – including communities, policy makers, and program implementers. 

Proposed Goals of an IS Working Group  

  • Bridge academic research with implementation: There is a need to measure and understand impact that goes beyond publication to build in-country capacity building and training, and to engage policy makers. A working group collaboration can help ensure that members and stakeholders are in sync with these new and emerging opportunities.  
  • Develop a common curriculum: There is a need to think collectively about the courses currently offered and how we share with communities of practice. CUGH would be a place for shared IS curriculum and to discuss and reach consensus on IS education principles.  
  • Share best practices: IS questions answered in academia are not necessarily aligned with what programs need, and there is a disconnect that a CUGH working group could address. The roundtable discussed how academic IS is often out of sync with the “real world”, and there may be ways to share best practices and combine resources to help drive programs and build capacity in an efficient, effective way.  
  • Develop metrics: How many policies or programs have been influenced because of research we have been doing? How many careers have been developed through various mentorship and training programs? Identifying these metrics could be one goal of a CUGH working group.   
  • Ensure a regional perspective, local leadership and global engagement: Following the paradigm of science, policy, and practice, there is a need to increase engagement with LMIC stakeholders and to ensure sustainability of a working group and the overall network.