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Lessons from the field: case studies in global implementation science

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Collection Organisers: Blythe Beecroft, Fogarty International Center, USA; Gila Neta, National Cancer Institute, USA; Rohit Ramaswamy, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, USA; and Rachel Sturke, Fogarty International Center, USA

Fogarty’s Center for Global Health Studies (CGHS), in collaboration with the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), has developed a collection of case studies documenting examples of rigorous implementation research in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).  For an in-depth introduction to the collection, please refer to the commentary: The “case” for case studies: why we need high-quality examples of global implementation research.

Documented examples of rigorous implementation research in global contexts can be a valuable resource and help build research capacity.  The overall collection is intended to highlight the value of case studies as a source of “thick” (i.e., context-rich) description and a teaching tool for global implementation researchers. It addresses the independent merit of case studies as an evaluation approach for disseminating high quality research in a format that is useful to a broad range of stakeholders. Additionally, case studies can strengthen research by demonstrating a variety of research designs to answer complex questions and generating generalizable knowledge about implementation. 

These research articles, published in this collection in Implementation Science Communications, provide practical examples of how to select, adapt, and apply implementation science models, theories, or frameworks to global settings, develop and test implementation strategies, and evaluate implementation processes and outcomes. 

All case analyses in the collection have undergone the journal’s standard peer-review process and span various disease areas across diverse international contexts. 

This collection would not be possible without the CGHS Steering Committee and the help of Bryan Weiner, Christopher Gordon, Eche Ezeanolue, Ejemai Eboreime, and Suzy Pollard.


  1. This case study details the experience of the Proyecto Precancer in applying the Integrative Systems Praxis for Implementation Research (INSPIRE) methodology to guide the co-development, planning, implementati...

    Authors: Sarah D. Gilman, Patti E. Gravitt and Valerie A. Paz-Soldán
    Citation: Implementation Science Communications 2024 5:35
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. Implementation science offers a systematic approach to adapting innovations and delivery strategies to new contexts but has yet to be widely applied in low- and middle-income countries. The Fogarty Center for ...

    Authors: Amanda J. Gupta, Patricia Turimumahoro, Emmanuel Ochom, Joseph M. Ggita, Diana Babirye, Irene Ayakaka, David Mark, Daniel Ayen Okello, Adithya Cattamanchi, David W. Dowdy, Jessica E. Haberer, Mari Armstrong-Hough, Achilles Katamba and J. Lucian Davis
    Citation: Implementation Science Communications 2023 4:71
    Content type: Research Published on:

  3. Although many behavioral interventions are adapted, little is known about the reasons for adaptations and the process and outcomes influencing adaptations. To address this gap, we explored the adaptations made...

    Authors: Juliet Iwelunmor, Oliver Ezechi, Chisom Obiezu-Umeh, Titilola Gbaja-Biamila, Adesola Z. Musa, Ucheoma Nwaozuru, Nnamdi Obasi, Victor Ojo, Hong Xian, David Oladele, Collins O. Airhihenbuwa, Kathryn Muessig, Nora Rosenberg, Donaldson F. Conserve, Jason J. Ong, Susan Nkengasong…
    Citation: Implementation Science Communications 2023 4:44
    Content type: Research Published on:

  4. In Argentina, HPV  self-collection offered by community health workers was demonstrated to be effective to improve cervical cancer screening uptake. Based on these findings, the EMA strategy was scaled up in n...

    Authors: Melisa Paolino, Victoria Sánchez Antelo, Milca Cuberli, Mariana Curotto, Anabella Le Pera, Fernando Binder, Juan David Mazzadi, Beatriz Firmenich and Silvina Arrossi
    Citation: Implementation Science Communications 2023 4:4
    Content type: Research Published on:

  5. Smoking rates remain high in Vietnam, particularly among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH), but tobacco cessation services are not available in outpatient HIV clinics (OPCs). The research team is conducting a...

    Authors: Donna Shelley, Gloria Guevara Alvarez, Trang Nguyen, Nam Nguyen, Lloyd Goldsamt, Charles Cleland, Yesim Tozan, Jonathan Shuter and Mari Armstrong-Hough
    Citation: Implementation Science Communications 2022 3:112
    Content type: Research Published on:

  6. As in many low-income countries, the treatment gap for developmental disorders in Pakistan is nearly 100%. The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed the mental Health Gap Intervention guide (mhGAP-IG) ...

    Authors: Syed Usman Hamdani, Zill-e- Huma and Lawrence S. Wissow
    Citation: Implementation Science Communications 2022 3:99
    Content type: Research Published on:

  7. Youth Functioning and Organizational Success for West African Regional Development (Youth FORWARD) was launched as an implementation science collaboration focused on scaling out evidence-based mental health in...

    Authors: Laura Bond, Jordan Farrar, Ryan C. Borg, Katrina Keegan, Katharine Journeay, Nathan Hansen, Emmanuel Mac-Boima, Alimamy Rassin and Theresa S. Betancourt
    Citation: Implementation Science Communications 2022 3:16
    Content type: Research Published on:

  8. Rigorous and systematic documented examples of implementation research in global contexts can be a valuable resource and help build research capacity. In the context of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)...

    Authors: Blythe Beecroft, Rachel Sturke, Gila Neta and Rohit Ramaswamy
    Citation: Implementation Science Communications 2022 3:15
    Content type: Commentary Published on: