The Georgian Implementation Science Fogarty Training (GIFT) Summer Bootcamp 2024 officially opened today at Ilia State University, bringing together researchers, clinicians, public health professionals, faculty members, and graduate students for three days of intensive training in Implementation Science and Biostatistics. The Bootcamp is jointly organised by Ilia State University and Yale University through the Georgian Implementation Science Fogarty Training (GIFT) Program, funded by the Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Registration opened on 24 May 2024, attracting 99 participants from 12 countries – Armenia, China, Colombia, Georgia, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, the Republic of Moldova, and Tajikistan – highlighting the growing international interest in implementation science training.
The Bootcamp offers 40 hours of intensive training over three days and features 19 distinguished speakers, including 11 faculty members from Yale University, together with experts from Ilia State University, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other leading national and international institutions.
The scientific program begins with keynote lectures on the foundations of implementation science, implementation strategies, and implementation research methods, followed by practical case studies illustrating the application of implementation science to HIV care, tuberculosis, primary healthcare integration, digital health, and hepatitis C elimination. Participants will also have the opportunity to engage directly with international experts through interactive consultation sessions focused on real-world research challenges.
The final day of the Bootcamp features two specialized educational pathways. The Biostatistics Track provides hands-on training in R and RStudio, covering sample size calculations, complex study designs, longitudinal and cluster-randomized trials, and missing data methods. In parallel, the Implementation Science Track focuses on rapid assessment methods, the Nominal Group Technique, implementation facilitation, NIATx strategies, grant writing, manuscript development, economic evaluation, and literature review.
Participants represent a broad range of professional backgrounds, with researchers, PhD students, public health specialists, academic faculty, healthcare professionals, and administrators creating a multidisciplinary learning environment that encourages collaboration and knowledge exchange.
The GIFT Summer Bootcamp serves as a regional platform for advancing implementation science capacity and strengthening international collaboration to improve evidence-based public health practice throughout Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and other low- and middle-income countries.
We warmly welcome all participants and faculty and wish everyone a productive and inspiring Bootcamp.
