Implementation Science: Why It Matters for the Future of Social Work

ABSTRACT

Bridging the gap between research and practice is a critical frontier for the future of social work. Integrating implementation science into social work can advance our profession’s effort to bring research and practice closer together. Implementation science examines the factors, processes, and strategies that influence the uptake, use, and sustainability of empirically supported interventions, practice innovations, and social policies in routine practice settings. The aims of this article are to describe the key characteristics of implementation science, illustrate how implementation science matters to social work by describing several contributions this field can make to reducing racial and ethnic disparities in mental health care, and outline a training agenda to help integrate implementation science in graduate-level social work programs.

Funding

This work was supported in part by National Institutes of Health grants K01 MH091108 and R01 MH104574. The content of this article is solely the responsibility of the author and does not represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported in part by National Institutes of Health grants K01 MH091108 and R01 MH104574. The content of this article is solely the responsibility of the author and does not represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Notes on contributors

Leopoldo J. Cabassa

Leopoldo J. Cabassa is Associate Professor at Columbia University School of Social Work and Assistant Director of the New York State Center of Excellence for Cultural Competence at the New York State Psychiatric Institute.