The inaugural cohort of the Practitioner-Oriented Implementation Science Education (POISE) Training in 2024 set the stage for what has now become a successful annual training for practitioners across the country. The five-month, hybrid training is designed for HIV public health and service providers and aims to enhance their knowledge of implementation science and innovative tools that can be applied to real-world practice. The POISE Training is hosted by the HIV Implementation Science Coordination Initiative (ISCI), which is part of the broader CHESHIRE network.
Inaugural POISE Training Cohort
The inaugural POISE cohort ran from February through September of 2024 and was composed of 12 participants primarily located in Ending the HIV Epidemic priority jurisdictions across the United States. The participants represented a wide range of organizations including health departments, community-based organizations, academic medical centers, and federally qualified health centers. Through the training, each participant developed an initial implementation plan for an HIV-related program or intervention specific to their organization.
2024 POISE Training Cohort
| POISE Participant | Organization Type | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Hilary Reno | Academic Medical Center & Health Department | St. Louis, MO |
| Jennifer McKinney | Academic Medical Center | Houston, TX |
| Lonnetta Wilson | Local government | Fort Worth, TX |
| Tony Sillemon | Community-based organization | Oakland, CA |
| Kevin English-Taylor | Health department | Altanta, GA |
| Amanda Allmacher | Academic Medical Center | Detroit, MI |
| Derice Seid | Federally qualified health center | San Rafael, CA |
| M. Wladimir Louis-Charles | Health department | Washington, DC |
| Elaine Seaton | Community-based organization | Chicago, IL |
| Juliet Jones | Community-based organization | Chicago, IL |
| Dante Harris | Community-based organization | Chicago, IL |
| Trammell Walters | Health department | Washington, DC |
Program Outcomes
The 2024 POISE Training participants engaged in a wide range of activities, including a series of presentations on didactic implementation science sessions, an in-person meeting, self-study components, a real-world case study, peer-to-peer learning, and interactive online discussions. The participants developed a nuanced understanding of how to apply implementation science to their respective POISE projects, which aimed to improve a real program or intervention at their organization. Projects included programs on status neutral, postpartum retention in HIV care, and Rapid START.
Comparing the pre- and post-knowledge evaluations, participants’ ratings of the statement “I understand what implementation science is” increased, with most moving from a neutral response to strongly agreeing. A similar improvement was seen for the statement “I understand how determinants are linked to the strategies to address them,” with participants reporting greater clarity by the end of the training.
“The most useful part of the POISE training was learning how to apply implementation science tools to real-world scenarios, particularly in identifying barriers and facilitators to effective HIV program implementation. The practical strategies offered during the training have been invaluable in refining how we plan and execute HIV prevention and care services.
Additionally, the peer-to-peer learning component allowed for a rich exchange of ideas, which broadened my understanding of different approaches to overcoming implementation challenges across diverse settings. This training has significantly enhanced my ability to develop actionable implementation plans with measurable outcomes.”
– POISE Training Participant
“Having a broader, high-level way of looking at a ‘thing’ and then using that to drill down has been useful. I’ve definitely been using implementation science across projects.”
– POISE Training Participant
“I appreciated how available the facilitators were throughout the entirety of the POISE Training in order to help participants one-on-one for achieving understanding.”
– POISE Training Participant
Participants presented their project Implementation Research Logic Models (IRLMs) at the final cohort meeting and discussed their learning process throughout the training. In a year follow-up with the cohort, many participants reported being able to actively use implementation science in their work to implement the program or intervention they worked on during the POISE training themselves or with other programs at their organization.
The 2024 POISE cohort has had opportunities to stay connected with one another and meet the 2025 POSIE cohort through virtual meetings and discussions. Additional engagement opportunities are already being developed and put into action based on both cohort’s needs.
Apply for the Next POISE Training Cohort
Check out ISCI’s running list of professional development opportunities and open positions to learn more about the upcoming POISE cohort and when applications are open. To receive updates when applications go live, subscribe to the biweekly ISCI Interchange newsletter.