The Implementation Science (IS) SWG is well-poised to support HIV researchers, community organizations, and clinicians to lead rigorous, contextually appropriate IS projects that address the needs of local communities and advance goals to End the HIV Epidemic. The IS SWG will augment the capacity of researchers to translate effective HIV interventions into improved health outcomes through the application of IS methods. We will leverage existing community partnerships to build trust and create evidence that matters to our most-impacted communities.

• To promote equity and reduce health disparities among those at risk or living with HIV, the IS SWG is committed to the use of rigorous IS study designs, comprehensive data collection from providers and community members, the use or creation of validated IS measures, and the creation and testing of unique implementation and dissemination strategies.

Despite the availability of safe and effective HIV treatment (i.e., Antiretroviral Therapy [ART]) and prevention (e.g., Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis [PrEP]), a substantial proportion of people diagnosed with HIV do not achieve viral suppression, and those likely to be diagnosed with HIV have not access PrEP. Substantial disparities exist among racial/ethnic minority populations. In Tennessee, it is estimated that Blacks and Hispanics access PrEP at ~1/4 the rate of their White counterparts. There is a critical need to understand gaps in the uptake of evidence-based interventions. Implementation science (IS) aims to address this evidence-to-practice gap. The field of IS has developed very rapidly over the past 20 years, with an influx of new theories and frameworks focusing on standardizing methods while improving equity and sustainability. Great strides have been made to standardize implementation strategies and outcome measures. However, given the rapid pace of change and many health service researchers’ limited knowledge and skills in IS, mentorship and formal training are strongly needed to improve the quality of how IS methods are applied. For these reasons, the United States (U.S.) Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) Plan has prioritized the research training of a multi-disciplinary workforce needed to conduct high-priority HIV research. The Implementation Science Core (ISC) is designed to optimize HIV investigators’ abilities to perform high-quality IS research through short-term consultations to develop an IS project, longer-term partnerships to implement IS research, and extensive mentorship, to expand the pool of investigators with IS expertise.

The IS SWG has successfully brought together investigators from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Meharry Medical College (MMC), and Nashville CARES. The work of the IS SWG will be guided by a prioritized research agenda aligned with the expertise and interest of its members; these include the PrEP/HIV Continuum of Care, adaptation of IS strategies/ evidence-based approaches, and the implementation of wrap around services to treat comorbidities, including psychiatric conditions (e.g., Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression, anxiety) as well a physiological conditions (e.g., diabetes, cardiovascular health), and other factors impacting care. Work will further be guided by the following objectives:

• To share research ideas and create opportunities for collaboration
• To identify needs to enhance implementation and dissemination research for our community
• To exchange best practices in the measurement of strategy acceptability, feasibility, and acceptability
• To create a resource library to share tools for measurement of IS metrics