The National Centre of Implementation Science (NCOIS) has brought together researchers and end-user organisations including experts from Australia, as well as internationally to optimise methods in implementation and research translation in chronic disease prevention within community settings.
NCOIS has focused on prevention strategies related to diet, physical activity, weight status, tobacco and alcohol, in community settings, such as early childhood education and care, schools, sporting clubs and workplaces.
Our Mission
Our mission has been to work collaboratively with our partners towards achieving our vision: to improve the preventive health system to keep people chronic disease free for longer.
To do this we have: undertaken research, built research capacity, fostered partnerships, and utilised knowledge translation strategies to provide better evidence aligned to the needs of public health decision makers more quickly.
Our research transfer strategy has been shaped by the knowledge translation research we conduct and insights from evaluating strategies within our centre. These efforts have resulted in an average of 0.6 policy mentions per publication, with 37% of our publications ranked among the top 10% most cited worldwide (Altmetric 2024).
Our approach has contributed to the prevention of chronic disease by enabling the timely selection and implementation of the most impactful interventions best suited to local contexts.
- We have sought to reduce inequities in the chronic disease burden experienced by vulnerable persons and communities through the research we conduct, the partnerships we have formed and the capacity building opportunities we provided.
- We have invested in activities that support equity focused research including through our governance, consultations, capacity building and workforce.
What Is The Chronic Disease Evidence-Practice Gap?
One of the greatest barriers to improving public health is the large gap between what research indicates will improve health and what is actually implemented in everyday practice. For example, many types of cancer occurring today could be prevented if interventions already known to be effective in addressing risks were successfully implemented.
NCOIS has sought to close this gap, by generating an evidence-base to guide optimal implementation of prevention strategies in community settings.
Which Chronic Disease Risks Have Been Targeted?
NCOIS has focussed on the following primary modifiable risks for chronic disease, as specified by the World Health Organisation:
- Diet
- Physical Activity
- Weight Status
- Tobacco
- Alcohol use
What Community Settings Have We Worked In?
NCOIS has focussed on generating evidence to support optimal implementation of chronic disease prevention interventions in community (non-clinical) settings, including:
- Early Childhood Education and Care
- Schools
- Sporting Clubs
- Workplaces
Partnerships
NCOIS foundation research projects have been a collaboration between The University of Newcastle and partnering academic institutions.
Partner Universities and Institutes
The administration and coordination of the NCOIS has been based at the University of Newcastle, with our partner universities and institutes including:
- University of Newcastle
- University of Sydney
- The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
- Monash University
- Deakin University
- Central Queensland University
Translation Partners
The following organisations have been our formal translation partners, however the NCOIS has collaborated with a broader list of partners, on a project-by-project basis:
- NSW Ministry of Health
- Hunter New-England Local Health District
- Mid North Coast Local Health District
- Central Coast Local Health District
- Alcohol and Drug Foundation
- NSW Cancer Council
- The NSW Heart Foundation
- The Australian Council for Health Physical Education and Recreation, NSW
- Early Learning and Care Council of Australia
- The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre
- Preventive Health SA