The application cycle is currently closed. Please check back in December 2026 for Summer 2026. For other Implementation Science offerings, be sure to check out resources through PISCE, the Penn Implementation Science Center!
Implementation science is the scientific study of methods to promote the use of evidence-based practices in real-world settings to improve healthcare quality, patient outcomes, and population health.
The 4-course unit (CU) Implementation Science Certificate Program equips researchers and practitioners with practical skills and tools to design and conduct high-quality implementation science research.
Through a combination of didactics, experiential learning, and mentorship, the Penn Implementation Science Certificate Program provides training in rigorous, contextualized, and impactful implementation research. While some sessions may be offered in person, the program can be completed entirely in a virtual format, offering flexibility for participants regardless of location.
This program is ideally suited for scholars seeking to build core competencies in implementation science for future research endeavors, including early career investigators pursuing NIH K awards or equivalent funding. It is also well suited for implementation and improvement science practitioners who aim to apply evidence-based approaches in real-world settings.
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Our part-time, 10 course program is ideal for working professionals. Students have the option to complete the degree in either two or three years. Year one consists of two mandatory foundational classes per term.
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Applications open in December 2026 for Summer 2027
Applicants are required to submit the following:
- Personal Statement
- Resume or CV
- Minimum 1 letter of recommendation
- Official Transcript
Ensure you have availability to attend classes on Thursdays during the day before you apply.
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The mix of self-paced and live learning permits both flexibility and community building.
- Self-paced content helps learners complete coursework at a time that fits their schedule.
- Live learning gives participants space to engage with peers and faculty in real-time.
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Past Events
See our archive of previous art-science events here. Experiences have included student artist-scientist talks, exhibitions, and classroom-turned science programs.
"I still reference lectures from the Implementation Science Institute (ISI), have used frameworks and worldview-shifting knowledge from the Equity course, used study designs and techniques I learned in the Mixed Methods course. While I'm not planning to shift gears to become an ImpSci methodologist, this program has given me a solid baseline understanding of the general principles, as well as specific tools, frameworks, and necessary skills to design and conduct implementation science research with consultations and advice from methodologists along the way...
I developed a pilot implementation that was highly successful using the tools, principles, and mentorship I got from the program. I will use these tools and the connections I made with ImpSci faculty to develop a national implementation project for a toolkit we developed and refined here at CHOP. All of the courses were outstanding."
Competencies to be Achieved by the End of Certificate
- To describe the fundamentals of IS, including common frameworks, theories, and models.
- To communicate research methods and findings in plain language to diverse audiences.
- To interpret how issues of context, justice, and equity influence study design considerations.
- To distinguish between multilevel factors which affect implementation at multiple ecological levels (individual, organizational, community, and policy).
- To select appropriate frameworks and models, outcomes, and strategies, and research methods for new implementation research.
- To defend importance of inter-disciplinary teams and community partnerships in IS research.
- To design rigorous mixed methods IS research which minimizes validity threats.
- (Optionally) To author research proposals which are competitive for grant funding.
Based on capstone course choices, students may also be able to author research proposals which are competitive for grant funding.