Title: Why Implementation Matters: A Case Study of Success  

What you can expect to learn: It can be hard to see why an intervention that you have put your blood, sweat and tears into can fail. In this presentation, the role that implementation science can play in increasing your chances of success will be demonstrated through a case study project that aimed to increase the levels of physical activity in young children at early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Western Australia. Join me as I walk you through how implementation science demonstrated and influenced the good, the bad and the ugly of a health intervention and led onto evidence for bigger and better things.

Presented by: Dr Elizabeth J Wendon

Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Health Science and Master of Public Health from Edith Cowan University and PhD from The University of Western Australia (conferred May 2024). She has been involved in a range of child and adolescent health promotion areas in her career as a researcher (since 2009) and has a broad research background across a number of fields (obesity, physical activity, nutrition, alcohol, bullying, social-emotional wellbeing).

She am currently a Teaching (Public Health) and Research and hold an Academic Career Development Fellowship for 2024/2025. Her PhD (2024) pivoted into implementation science and investigated the implementation of physical activity policy and practice in early education and care centres, and she won an Australian Government RTP and Minderoo top-up scholarship to undertake this research. Elizabeth aims to continue this research encompassing more broadly the issue of implementing health interventions in school and early childhood settings.

Elizabeth is also an Honorary Team Member with the PLAYCE (PLAY Spaces and Environments for Children’s Physical Activity, Health & Development) Research Group at The Kids Research Institute (formerly Telethon Kids). She is committed to improving health outcomes for our future generations by developing and testing health promotion initiatives for children in all settings. 

Find out more about Dr Wendon’s research:

Email: e.wenden@ecu.edu.au

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-wenden-phd-08aa9265

Ordid ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3046-3658

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