Real-world application and implementation of evidence-based practice continue to be a challenge across multiple sectors, including behavioral health settings. Providing the opportunity for future researchers and practitioners to gain capacity and knowledge through structured experiential learning in implementation science is critical to closing the research to practice gap. The Institute for Translational Research Education in Adolescent Drug Abuse (ITRE) is a graduate certificate program that offers specific coursework, a large-scale service-learning project based in the community, and mentorship related to implementation science research and practice. The purpose of this evaluation was to examine, from the perspective of ITRE scholars, the perceived impact on the development of professional research and practice skills once graduated from the ITRE program. Fifty-eight semi-structured interviews across five cohorts were selected randomly for in-depth thematic analysis (n = 58). Results suggest that the ITRE provides a unique approach grounded in implementation science for building robust and transferable skills for future researchers and practitioners working in a variety of behavioral healthcare settings.
Keywords: Implementation practice; Implementation science; Practitioners; Researchers; Service learning.