CARE-Emory Implementation Science Research

Implementation science, in simple terms, is the study of how to effectively put into practice what we know works. It addresses the “know-do” gap: the gap between what we "know" to do and "how" we do in practice. It's like the bridge between good ideas and real-world action. In a recent commentary, we describe the value of expanding the application of implementation science to environmental health, specifically water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions, as a way to respond to the complexity of sustainable service delivery.

This collaborative grant between CARE USA and Emory University is designed to enhance program impact and improve the state of implementation science and research in the highly interrelated areas of gender equity, economic empowerment, WASH, and nutrition. The expected results of the collaborative grant are to: (1) Improve program delivery, (2) Enhance knowledge and application of implementation science knowledge in development programs, and (3) Enhance collaborations for future funding opportunities, including to seed new funding opportunities.

Throughout the three-year grant period, the we will pursue a suite of implementation science and research projects that contribute to achieving the goals of this project. In collaboration with CARE project staff, we have identified three workstreams to address key implementation challenges:

  • Process evaluation handbook: To improve the ability of CARE to integrate process evaluation into their programs, leading to improved understanding of factors that may impact intervention implementation and system requirements to support effective implementation

  • WASH implementation reporting: To collaborate with CARE on the development of a WASH reporting toolkit as an opportunity to champion the reporting toolkit and improve future reporting

  • Gender transformative programing adaptations: To document best practices that inform the integration and adaptation of gender transformative approaches to CARE current and future WASH programs

This project will align with the vision of the CARE-Emory Collaboration to jointly produce high-impact, policy- and programmatically- relevant applied research and learning to address global challenges to human development for transformative impact at scale. Settings for collaboration will fall within CARE's broader Water+ and water-adjacent portfolio and utilize the interdisciplinary research expertise of the Network for Evaluation and Implementation Sciences at Emory.

Publications

  1. TIDieR-WASH: A Guideline for Reporting Implementation of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Interventions (2024)

Project Summary

Learning Briefs

 

TImeline

2022-2025

Project Location

Globally

Principal Investigators

Emory University: Matthew Freeman

Project Staff

Jedidiah Snyder, Emily Ogutu Awino, Lilly O’Brien, Jonny Crocker, Erika Canda

CARE

Key CARE project staff sit within the Global Water+ team (Sara Hoffman, Kelly Alexander) and Impact Learning Knowledge and Accountability (ILKA) team (Caitlin Shannon), but activities will engage a range staff from projects and country offices

Emory students

Jhanel Chew, Kainalu Bailey, Filmon Gebremichael, Naziza Naeer Bhuiyan, Leslie Owusu