Two leaders in implementation science and quality improvement at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have been named co-directors of the Center for Clinical Quality and Implementation Research (CCQIR), which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
Carolyn Audet, PhD, and Amanda Mixon, MD, MSPH, recently succeeded founding CCQIR director Sunil Kripalani, MD, MSc, professor of Medicine and Health Policy, and VUMC Vice President for Health System Sciences.
“I am excited for Carolyn and Amanda to take over leadership of the center and know that they will take it to new heights locally, nationally and internationally,” said Kripalani, who will continue as director of the Center for Health Services Research, which supports the CCQIR.
Audet, associate professor of Health Policy, has served as CCQIR associate director for several years. She developed and continues to lead the implementation science course in the MPH program and is active nationally in implementation science training and development programs.
Her large international program of federally funded research and domestic collaborations focus on the application of implementation science methods in the context of infectious diseases, maternal health, substance use and mental health. Audet also is associate director for Research in the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health.
Mixon, associate professor of Medicine, directs the Vanderbilt Implementation and Quality Improvement Core, where she provides consultation using a range of methods spanning quality improvement research to implementation science. Her federally funded research focuses on deprescribing in patients with polypharmacy, medication errors across care settings, care transitions, and social determinants of health.
A graduate of the VA Quality Scholars Program, she is deputy associate director of Research at the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center of the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System.
Mixon and Audet also have been co-leading the implementation science peer mentorship group, and they mentor and collaborate with numerous trainees and faculty.
“Amanda and I are thrilled to take the helm of the CCQIR,” Audet said. “Translating research into sustainable clinical care can be challenging, but implementation science methods can help improve adoption and fidelity to evidence-based practices.
“We will work to train early-stage investigators, provide mentorship and grant writing support, and develop new implementation science methods to improve patient outcomes at VUMC and around the world,” she said.
“Carolyn and I bring complementary backgrounds and experience to these roles,” Mixon added. “We want to support our colleagues locally and continue to elevate Vanderbilt’s stature as a leader in implementation science research nationally and internationally for the betterment of broad populations.”
The CCQIR includes 40 faculty members engaged in local, national and international research supported by more than $27 million in annual extramural funding. During the past 10 years under Kripalani’s leadership, it has brought implementation and improvement science resources to the forefront of initiatives across VUMC.
The center developed partnerships with the Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research and VUMC health system leaders to provide implementation and improvement science expertise for pragmatic research studies and operational initiatives.
It also grows implementation science expertise at Vanderbilt by supporting postdoctoral and faculty research career development programs through formal didactic coursework, weekly seminars, mentorship, an annual symposium and a resource library.
