The Mechanisms of Change of a Multifaceted Implementation Strategy on Fidelity to a Guideline for the Prevention of Mental Health Problems at the Workplace

Lydia Kwak, PhD, Andreas Rödlund, PhD | February 10, 2026 : A key priority in implementation science is to understand the mechanisms of implementation strategies, describing how and why they function. Yet, the knowledge about mechanisms of implementation strategies is scarce, and experimental studies exploring these mechanisms are still few. This presentation will share findings…

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From Field Theory to CFIR: An Umbrella Review of 614 Implementation Science Theories, Models and Frameworks

Guillaume Fontaine, PhD, MSc, RN | January 27, 2026 : This presentation will outline the findings of an umbrella review cataloguing the current universe of implementation science theories, models, and frameworks (TMFs), describing their purposes, structures, analytic levels, and historical trends. From 9,276 records, 44 reviews (2002–2024) were included, identifying 614 unique TMFs published 1939–2022…

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From Measurement to Action: Overcoming the Limits of Substance Use Treatment Metrics to Improve Patient Initiation, Engagement and Recovery

Erika Crable, PhD, MPH, Lindsey Zimmerman, PhD | January 20, 2026 : Starting substance use disorder (SUD) treatment reduces odds of overdose and death, making the period after diagnosis a critical window for intervention. Patients who effectively engage in SUD treatment early are more likely to be retained in treatment for at least six months.…

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Tracking Implementation Determinants Over Time Using the IFASIS: Multi-Site Analysis of Opioid Treatment Programs Implementing a Digital Contingency Management Platform

Implementation Science journal cover

Background: Contingency management (CM) is the most effective treatment for stimulant use, but is underutilized due to implementation challenges. Digital CM platforms have shown promise in addressing barriers to implementation, but there is limited understanding of factors impacting delivery of a digital CM platform over time. The goal of this longitudinal study was to measure…

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Challenges With Buprenorphine Initiation in the Fentanyl Era—Adapting Effectively to the Moment

Buprenorphine is a cornerstone medication for opioid use disorder (OUD) but carries a known risk of precipitated withdrawal (PW) during initiation, a concern that appears to be increasing in the era of nonpharmaceutical fentanyl (NPF). Kawasaki and colleagues report findings from a 2023–2024 nationally representative survey of 396 US buprenorphine prescribers examining challenges with buprenorphine…

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Fellow Spotlight: Damian Chase-Begay, PhD, MS

For Damian Chase-Begay, Ph.D., M.S. (Mandan/Arikara), public health was shaped early by family, community, and lived experience. Born in Missoula, Montana, his path traces back to the 1960s, when his grandmother came to the University of Montana on a tribal scholarship, earned a degree in nutrition, and went on to become a nurse serving Native communities. Exposure to Indian Health systems was part of daily life. “There wasn’t a moment where I decided this is what I’d do,” he says. “It was always there.”

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Implementation Outcomes Included in NIDA Clinical Trials Network (CTN) Studies: A Systematic Review of Studies Conducted Over 20 Years

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Clinical Trials Network (CTN) has supported clinical trials of substance use disorder (SUD) interventions for 25 years. This review describes the use of implementation outcomes across CTN trials, characterizes outcomes included, and identifies gaps and potential opportunities to strengthen implementation research within the CTN and the field of…

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Faculty Spotlight: Erika Crable, PhD, MPH

For Erika Crable, PhD, MPH, implementation science is personal. Growing up in the D.C. and Baltimore areas, she witnessed how the “three waves” of the U.S. opioid epidemic—the prescription drug crisis of the 1990s, the rise of heroin in the 2000s, and the spread of synthetic opioids in the years since— devastated families and communities, including her own.

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Not Just for Snacks – Vending Machines as a Low-Barrier Harm Reduction Access Method

Alice Zhang, MD, MPH | January 6, 2026 : Harm reduction-focused vending machines, delivering naloxone, fentanyl test strips, and other public health items, represent a potential non-stigmatizing, low-barrier approach to harm reduction that may increase access and engagement with underserved populations, reduce overdoses and related public health conditions, and health disparities in substance use disorder.…

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