To say that it has been a whirlwind two years for Guillaume Fontaine, RN, PhD, would be an understatement. Since he assumed his appointment as a tenure track researcher and Assistant Professor at the Ingram School of Nursing (ISoN) in August 2023, he has established an implementation science research group called the RISE3 Lab, secured three CIHR grants in the amount of $1.4 million, developed a new online digital health course, organized a seminar series, and authored or co-authored 28 peer-reviewed articles as well as policy papers.
An internationally recognized expert in implementation science (IS) - the study of methods to promote the integration of evidence-based practices, programs, and policies into healthcare - Prof. Fontaine admits that while the process can be time-consuming at the outset, it often yields better results. “Nurses are great implementation practitioners because it’s an intuitive approach that looks at the gap between what research shows is best practice and what actually happens in healthcare settings. We take the time to identify potential barriers and facilitators before designing interventions, so that they will have a greater chance of being implemented successfully, influencing positively clinical practice and patient outcomes, and being sustained in the longer term,” he explains.
The RISE3 lab – Research in Implementation Science for Healthcare Engagement, Effectiveness and Equity - is focused on three interconnected research streams, each with its own projects.
- Using implementation science research to address and examine barriers and facilitators to care, and designing strategies to improve care in the area of infectious diseases and sexually transmitted and blood borne infections, including HIV and viral hepatitis. One project, funded by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) project grant (2024 – 2028, $656,000), involves 25 different sites across BC, Ontario and Quebec. The goal is to establish a framework to scale up rapid testing for infectious diseases, specifically for hepatitis C, in harm reduction and sexual health community organizations, Indigenous health services and prisons across Canada.
- Conducting systematic reviews and improving the synthesis of evidence, particularly around the types of interventions that might help enhance testing, linkage to care and treatment for sexually transmitted and blood borne infections.
- Improving implementation science theories, models, and frameworks to move from “what works” in theory to “what works” in practice. These help researchers and healthcare decision-makers plan, adapt, and evaluate programs in a structured and more equity-focused way.
The RISE3 lab is staffed by seven PhD students and three master’s students, all supervised or co-supervised by Professor Fontaine, as well as research assistants and a research coordinator. His trainees have collectively won a total of $1.2 million in competitive fellowships and scholarships from the CIHR, Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQ-S), and other agencies. “I am very proud of the supportive culture we’ve set up in the lab. The work is rigorous, but we have fun and everyone feels comfortable enough to help each other out.”
The digital online health course he created and launched in the winter of 2024 is another source of pride for Professor Fontaine. Geared primarily to undergraduates but open to students at all levels studying any health discipline at 91ÉçÇř, Fundamentals of Digital Health examines the design, implementation and use of technology in healthcare. Topics include wearable devices, electronic medical records, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence.
Thanks in part to the work of Prof. Fontaine and colleagues, implementation science is rapidly becoming part of the standard toolkit of applied healthcare research in many disciplines. As he points out, the CIHR now requires that many research networks embed an implementation science stream into their research. To that end, Prof. Fontaine is co-leading the Implementation Science Stream of the Canadian Network on Hepatitis C (CanHepC; ), funded by CIHR and the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the Methods Think Tank of the CIHR Pan-Canadian HIV/AIDS and STBBIs Trials Research Network (CTN+; ).
He also serves on the Advisory Committee of KT Canada () which offers capacity-building activities in knowledge translation and implementation science for graduate students, healthcare stakeholders and researchers, including a seminar series, summer institute and annual scientific meeting.
Reflecting on his first two years at 91ÉçÇř, Prof. Fontaine is grateful for the support of former Director and Associate Dean Anita Gagnon, current Director Lynne McVey, and his research colleagues at the Ingram School of Nursing. “91ÉçÇř’s environment is remarkably supportive and dynamic. Our students are exceptionally bright, passionate about nursing, and highly motivated. I am continually impressed by the real-world experience they bring and their drive to translate evidence into better healthcare practice, systems, policies, and outcomes.”
Photo caption:
Guillaume Fontaine (centre) with members of the RISE3 Lab, left to right: Joshua Ramos, Alenda Dwiadila Matra Putra, Charlene Weight, Daniel Elakpa, Sophie Sergerie-Richard, Meagan Mooney, Laura Crump, Robera D. Berhanu, Maimouna Mbengue.
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Interested in learning more about implementation science? Register for the three remaining talks in the Implementation Science Series organized by Prof. Guillaume Fontaine.
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