Dr. Martinez is an assistant professor and acting associate director in the BRIDGE (Brown Research on Implementationa and Dissemination to Guide Evidence Use) program in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior. His work focuses on getting youth and families timely, effective, and equitable health and mental health care. 

In this interview, Martinez shares his vision for Implementation Science at Advance RI-CTR along with his impressions of Rhode Island.

What led you to Implementation Science at Brown?

Implementation science is all about catalyzing change — change in behaviors, in structures, in mindsets. The research community at Brown is responsible for so many incredible clinical advancements. I was drawn to this role because I wanted to use implementation tools to help researchers move those advancements from bench, to bedside, to community. On top of that, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to work with Dr. Rani Elwy, the director of the BRIDGE program. Dr. Elwy is very well-respected in the implementation community — the opportunity to build the BRIDGE program and coalesce the incredible translational and implementation work happening across the university was exactly the kind of challenge I was looking for. 

What is your vision for Implementation Science services at Advance RI-CTR?

As an implementation scientist, I prioritize practicality above everything else. I’m also passionate about building capacity for implementation science. I see this approach fitting into Advance RI-CTR in several ways. First, I don’t want to change anything about the incredible consultation service that Dr. Elwy built. I will keep consulting with the Advance RI-CTR community, leveraging practical and robust methods. Second, I’m really excited about the direction that Advance RI-CTR is moving in – for example, the practice-based research network holds a lot of promise for transforming care for primary care practices and patients across Rhode Island. I want to integrate implementation science into that process so that we can turn the insights generously shared by those practices into tangible change. Finally, we have an immense opportunity to build implementation science capacity across the Advance RI-CTR network. My goal is to develop usable tools and resources for anyone that wants to learn the basics of implementation science. 

What are you looking forward to this academic year?

Speaking of capacity building! I have two exciting projects in the works. I’m currently developing an intensive methods-focused “bootcamp” to accompany our introductory bootcamp, which we hold twice per year. The goal is to provide a more in-depth introduction to implementation science methods through experiential learning. This bootcamp will launch in Summer of 2025, so stay tuned for more on that! Additionally, I am developing a series of seminars focused on helping faculty learn the basics of implementation science. The idea behind this is that people don’t need in-depth methodological training to benefit from the principles that undergird implementation science — I like to think of it as teaching people to have an implementation mindset. I believe that anyone can think like an implementation scientist — it just takes a little practice! 

How are you finding Rhode Island?

I’m loving Rhode Island so far! I have especially been enjoying the bike paths. I ride the Blackstone River Bikeway or East Bay any chance I get! Aside from that, I’m finding my spots for food, coffee, etc. Rhode Island is starting to feel like home.