A Transdisciplinary Approach for Teaching Implementation Research and Practice in Public Health

Abstract

The transdisciplinary approach for teaching implementation research and practice (IR&P) in public health seeks to present related concepts on IR&P from multiple perspectives without paying an exclusive service to a specific home discipline. It is a response to the demand for a pedagogical approach to teaching that promotes a unity of knowledge around a subject that extends beyond the disciplinary boundaries within public health. Based on the experience of establishing a flagship course in IR&P at a graduate school of public health, we draw from existing theories and offer practical steps for developing and delivering content for IR&P from a transdisciplinary perspective. The potential of this teaching approach is its ability to demonstrate the pervasiveness and easy transfer of relevant concepts in IR&P across multiple disciplines and settings. This teaching approach has relevance for influencing the overall technique to graduate-level instruction in the health professions where multiple disciplines intersect.