The HIGH-IRI is a training program focused on the intersection between Dissemination & Implementation Science and infectious diseases. Over two years, the Institute will deliver world-class training and mentorship, and also foster professional connections among a group of like-minded, leading-edge researchers who will magnify each other’s impact. Together, we can solve some of the most pressing health crises around the world.
The threat from infectious diseases to human health is at a crossroads.
We have the interventions to stop or slow most infectious diseases confronting humanity. Interventions to prevent (e.g., vaccines) as well as treat (e.g., antibiotics, antiretroviral therapy) many infectious diseases are very effective when used, and are also inexpensive, minimally toxic and widely available.
However, these interventions have not always yielded anticipated gains in population health. Even though HIV treatment reliably normalizes health and lifespan, only about 50% persons living with HIV in the US are on sustained successful treatment. Globally this number is even lower in many settings. What strategies can best improve engagement of populations in treatment and prevention services?
The field of dissemination & implementation (D&I) science is an emerging and growing field of inquiry — allied with health systems research, operations research and program science — that offers novel and distinctive perspectives on how to understand and overcome these gaps and advance human health.
The HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Health Implementation Research Institute (HIGH-IRI) seeks to grow the scientific community engaged in D&I research addressing infectious diseases and global health. Together, we can find novel solutions to some of the most pressing problems facing our global population.
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Program Description
- The HIGH-IRI program period is 24 months. During this time, the program offers mentorship and training in implementation research for scholars working in infectious diseases to supplement existing resources in home training programs and institutional environments mostly through remote engagement.
- The program includes two one-week, in-residence training and networking periods on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis. The in-person training periods will be held at the start of the program cycle each year.
- In the period of time between in-person training, faculty mentors from the HIGH-IRI program will work remotely with trainees to develop research projects and successful funding proposals (e.g., for K or R-series NIH grants). The HIGH-IRI faculty seek to supplement existing mentorship relationships in the trainee’s home institution particularly for implementation research.
- The HIGH-IRI program will seek to cultivate a scientific network between peers and mentors to form long-term scientific and professional collaborations.
- We seek a diverse cohort of ten to twelve scholars each year.
- In light of the current funding climate and the need to maintain a stable cohort size, we are exploring new ways to sustain the program while continuing to support junior and early-stage career investigators. Therefore, we are introducing a payment model for the 2025 program. This model is designed to accommodate different funding circumstances while maintaining the high-quality mentorship and training experience we provide.
- $5,000 – 2 Year HIGH IRI Program Package (includes mentorship, annual one-week training institutes, and administrative fees)
- Scholarships will be available for successful applicants who require financial assistance for travel and accommodation expenses. If you would like to be considered for a scholarship, please indicate this in the application form.
- The application cycle for the 2025 cohort is currently open and will close on March 31, 2025 (5:00pm US Central Time). Please see the apply page for further details.
Eligibility Requirements
- Early Career Infectious Disease, HIV, and Global Health researchers (PhDs/MDs and equivalent) at post-doctoral or junior faculty level.
- Both US and non-US citizens are eligible to apply.
Our Continued Commitment to Diversity
Our program remains deeply committed to diversity.
At this moment, it is more important than ever to confirm this commitment and also reiterate our rationale. Diversity in our program is not just about checkbox representation, but about valuing perspectives brought by individuals with different social positions (with attendant advantages and disadvantages), geographic backgrounds, training experiences, and relationships to public health. Our understanding of the world and the problems we face cannot be separated from who we are. This is unequivocally clear in global public health.
We draw on the concept of strong objectivity, the idea in philosophy of science that emphasizes knowledge as a collective process. Unlike the traditional notion of “scientific objectivity,” which believes better science is advanced through the dispassionate, individual inquiry, strong objectivity recognizes that knowledge is a property of an epistemic community — a group of people. Knowledge is then advanced through the diverse viewpoints, based on different social positions, in the right dialogue, that deepens our collective understanding. In short, while our embrace of diversity has many roots, one is as an epistemic mechanism for advancing progress in science and public health.
Contacts
Program Directors: Elvin Geng, MD, MPH and Ross C. Brownson, PhD
Program Manager: Jamie Macon
Funding for this program is provided by Viiv Healthcare and the National Institutes of Health
