The Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) Framework and Applications in Global Mental Health Research
Join us for a lecture of the Dalhousie Global Mental Health Guest Lecture Series presented by Dr. Gregory Aarons, Clinical and Organizational Psychologist and Professor of Psychiatry at UC San Diego.
Event details
Friday, May 29, 2026
3 to 4:30 p.m. (AST)/2 to 3:30 p.m. (EST)
Location
Virtually on Zoom (Note: Those registered will be sent the Zoom link closer to the event date)
REGISTER HERE by Noon on Thursday, May 28, 2026.
Questions?
Email cgmh@dal.ca
The Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) Framework and Applications in Global Mental Health Research
This presentation will describe the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) Framework its early development, advancements through a systematic review and more recent adaptations for policy implementation and for issues of power and equity in implementation science. The presentation will give examples of how EPIS and EPIS derived implementation and scale up strategies in health and global mental health projects in both developed and LMIC countries.
Learning objectives:
After this presentation, participants will be able to:
- Identify EPIS phases and describe what signifies transitions between phases.
- Describe the four main dimensions of EPIS constructs and their relationships with one another.
- Articulate ways in which EPIS Bridging Factors can represent bi-directional influences between Outer and Inner contexts.
About the speaker
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Dr. Aarons is a clinical and organizational psychologist specializing in implementation science for more than 25 years. He is Professor of Psychiatry at UC San Diego, Director of the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center, Co-Director of the UCSD Dissemination and Implementation Science Center, and co-Editor-in-Chief Emeritus and current Associate Editor of our field’s flagship journal – Implementation Science. Dr. Aarons has more than 350 peer-reviewed publications with more than 54,000 citations, an h-index of 93, and is in the top 1% of Clarivate most influential researchers in social sciences (2018-2023). He co-developed the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) framework, the Leadership and Organizational Change for Implementation (LOCI) strategy, and implementation science measures assessing attitudes toward evidence-based practices, implementation leadership, implementation climate, evidence-based practice sustainment, and intentions to adopt and use evidence-based practices. Dr. Aarons’ research has been funded by the US National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Fogarty International Center), Centers for Disease Control and W.T. Grant Foundation. He develops and tests implementation strategies to improve implementation of behavioral health and cancer control evidence-based practices in the USA, sub-Saharan Africa, Mexico, Norway, and Australia. |
Accreditation
This presentation is part of the Dalhousie Global Mental Health Guest Lecture Series
The Dalhousie Global Mental Health Guest Lecture Series is a self-approved group learning activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.