Abstract
BackgroundAs the field of D&I (dissemination and implementation) science grows to meet the need for more effective and timely applications of research findings in routine practice, the demand for formalized training programs has increased concurrently. The Mentored Training for Dissemination and Implementation Research in Cancer (MT-DIRC) Program aims to build capacity in the cancer control D&I research workforce, especially among early career researchers. This paper outlines the various components of the program and reports results of systematic evaluations to ascertain its effectiveness.MethodsEssential features of the program include selection of early career fellows or more experienced investigators with a focus relevant to cancer control transitioning to a D&I research focus, a 5-day intensive training institute, ongoing peer and senior mentoring, mentored planning and work on a D&I research proposal or project, limited pilot funding, and training and ongoing improvement activities for mentors. The core faculty and staff members of the MT-DIRC program gathered baseline and ongoing evaluation data regarding D&I skill acquisition and mentoring competency through participant surveys and analyzed it by iterative collective reflection.ResultsA majority (79%) of fellows are female, assistant professors (55%); 59% are in allied health disciplines, and 48% focus on cancer prevention research. Forty-three D&I research competencies were assessed; all improved from baseline to 6 and 18 months. These effects were apparent across beginner, intermediate, and advanced initial D&I competency levels and across the competency domains. Mentoring competency was rated very highly by the fellows––higher than rated by the mentors themselves. The importance of different mentoring activities, as rated by the fellows, was generally congruent with their satisfaction with the activities, with the exception of relatively greater satisfaction with the degree of emotional support and relatively lower satisfaction for skill building and opportunity initially.ConclusionsThese first years of MT-DIRC demonstrated the program’s ability to attract, engage, and improve fellows’ competencies and skills and implement a multicomponent mentoring program that was well received. This account of the program can serve as a basis for potential replication and evolution of this model in training future D&I science researchers.
Highlights
As the field of dissemination and implementation (D&I) science grows to meet the need for more effective and timely applications of research findings in routine practice, the demand for formalized training programs has increased concurrently
Funding agencies are designating funds for D&I specific proposals [10, 11], and there are increasing numbers of faculty positions focusing on D&I research [12]; the availability of training programs has lagged behind the demand from a growing D&I research workforce [13, 14]
The Mentored Training for Dissemination and Implementation Research in Cancer (MT-DIRC) program is perhaps the first to incorporate systematic mentored training for D&I research with a focus on cancer control. It builds on experiences with D&I science training programs of varying depth and formats offered by several organizations in the USA and globally [1, 17], with a particular focus on providing extended mentoring
Summary
As the field of D&I (dissemination and implementation) science grows to meet the need for more effective and timely applications of research findings in routine practice, the demand for formalized training programs has increased concurrently. With much of the cancer burden being preventable [3], the need to close the estimated 17-year gap between publication of new research findings and their application to prevention in practice has become urgent [4,5,6] This increased awareness, and the development of D&I science has initiated programs training researchers in this domain [1, 7,8,9]. TIDIRH, initially started as a 5-day training institute [7], has evolved into an online-based program with a 2-day in-person session Both IRI and TIDIRH have completed 7 years of summer trainings. Relatively few of these programs provide significant opportunities for interaction or offer a sustained mentoring component [17]
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