PISCE History

A Brief History of the Penn Implementation Science Center

See content below about the PISCE timeline 2012-2023

2012

  • The Implementation Science Working Group (ISWG 1.0), led by John Kimberly, PhD and Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH, was formed through the Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics.

2013

  • The Penn ISWG hosted the first Penn Implementation Science Conference.

2014

  • The ISWG 2.0 was formed, now led by Rinad Beidas, PhD and Ian Bennett, PhD under the advisory services of David Mandell, Scd. The ISWG focused on research and bringing in guest speakers to discuss implementation science. Dr. Beidas assumed the leadership role of the ISWG, as Dr. Bennett left Penn. 

2017

  • The Implementation Science Institute, a four-day intensive summer course that teaches researchers the fundamentals of implementation science, was founded.

2018

  • The ISWG 2.0 expanded and became the Penn Implementation Science Center (PISCE@LDI), launched by the Founding Director, Rinad Beidas, PhD, and Director of Acute Care Implementation Research, Meghan Lane-Fall, MD, MSHP. 

2019

  • Dr. Lane-Fall and Dr. Beidas, along with Dr. Curran, created and published the Implementation Science "subway map." 

2021

  • PISCE's team grew with the appointment of Assistant Directors (now Directors):
    • Dr. Christopher Bonafide, Director of Pediatric Implementation Research
    • Dr. Courtney Wolk, Director of Mental Health Implementation Research
    • Dr. Katherine Rendle, Director of Cancer Implementation Research
  • PISCE also expanded its organizational support staff with the inclusion of a Coordinator, Isabelle Kaminer. In addition, temporary assistance was provided by Amelia Van Pelt, PhD, MPH, as a post-doctoral fellow and by Daniel Blumenthal, a Clinical Research Coordinator.

2022

  • Dr. Meghan Lane-Fall was named Executive Director after Dr. Beidas' appointment as the Director of Medical and Social Sciences at Northwestern University.
  • Dr. Amanda Bettencourt, Assistant professor at the School of Nursing at Penn, joined PISCE's leadership team as the Director of Acute Care Implementation Research.
  • By 2022, PISCE had over 500 members, including those from 10 schools and more than 50 departments, centers, and institutes across Penn/CHOP.

2023

  • The Center expanded its staff to include a full-time Managing Director, Meghan Lockman.