University of Florida health researchers are expanding collaboration with Mount Kenya University (MKU), one of the largest private universities in Africa.
In June, a UF team supported the second Implementation Science Workshop in Nairobi among 56 participants from 13 different institutions. The two-day workshop ended with pledges from participants to establish an international implementation science working group and to increase joint research and mentorship.
Event speakers shared their insights on the best practices and current developments in the field of implementation science research, which studies the effects of evidence-based interventions on health outcomes. Examples covered a range of health fields, from maternal-child health to cancer prevention to big data.
“It was a true honor to partner with MKU on this workshop,” according to UF’s Rahma Mkuu, Ph.D. She and MKU’s Francis Makokha, Ph.D., organized a similar workshop in 2024.
“Building on feedback from our previous session, we designed this one around hands-on skill building in implementation science. After each presentation, participants engaged in activities that connected the concepts directly to their own ongoing projects, making the learning immediately practical and relevant,” Mkuu said.
The workshop covered implementation science theories and frameworks, research and evaluation designs, sustainability, and bridging the gap between discovery and real-world applications.
“The most exciting session was on Evaluation Design and Methods,” said Caroline Murerwa, a doctoral candidate at MKU. “I learned that implementation science evaluation should be planned systematically by first clarifying the intervention, its expected pathway of change and the specific outcomes to be measured.”
Support for the workshop came from MKU, the UF Institute for Child Health Policy, the UF Health Cancer Institute, and the UF International Center’s Global Fellows Program, which named Mkuu as a UF Global Fellow in 2025.
Workshop speaker Alayna Dean, a University of Florida alumna and a Peace Corps Volunteer currently serving in Kenya, enjoyed a unique position to offer on-the-ground insight.
“It was also a great opportunity to connect with fellow Gators and professionals from leading institutions across Kenya, creating opportunity for future collaboration to strengthen the programs we implement in rural communities,” Dean said.
Before the workshop, a UF delegation met with MKU’s founder, Professor Simon Gicharu. UF representatives included David Nelson, M.D., and Elizabeth Shenkman, Ph.D., the chair of the College of Medicine’s Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics. Shenkman gave opening remarks at the workshop.
HOBI had strong representation from its Division for Implementation Science and Health Interventions, including Ramzi Salloum, Ph.D., Stephanie Staras, Ph.D., and Jennifer LeLaurin, Ph.D.
Participants found great value in the workshop. “Having worked in implementation projects without this prior formal training in this area, the workshop was timely for me. I am looking forward to applying the knowledge learned in my future work,” said Gideon Gichahi from Kirinyaga University, a public university in Kenya.