Israel Implementation Science and Policy Engagement Centre ISPEC

Read about our recent activities and new initiatives -

Read about our recent activities and new initiatives As we move into spring, it is an opportunity to reflect on just how much IS-PEC has grown and accomplished over the past months. What continues to stand out most is not only the volume of activity, but the depth of engagement, collaboration, and impact that our community continues to build.

https://mailchi.mp/4c85b39f0060/reflecting-on-2025-a-message-from-is-pec-founder-prof-moriah-ellen

Reflecting on 2025: A Message from IS-PEC Founder Prof. Moriah Ellen

✨ Kicking off the Year with Connection, Curiosity, and Collaboration✨

Yesterday marked the first meeting of the year for the joint IS-KT Forum, a unique space where students across , , and Evidence-Informed Policymaking from three universities come together monthly to learn, support, and collaborate.

What makes this forum special isn’t just the research, it’s the community. Each session is a reminder that progress happens when we share ideas, ask hard questions, and lift each other up.

This year began with introductions, plans for a shared academic output, and a powerful first session led by Tal Bar Nizan, who presented her research on implementing evidence-based practice ( ) among . Her work sparked discussion on:
✅ What enables or constrains EBP in real-world settings
✅ The emotional experience of implementation
✅ And how Implementation Science can strengthen professional practice and reduce

Tal set the tone for the year, thoughtful, rigorous, and full of generosity.

Read more on Tal's research here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gaHBANgk

And here 👉 https://lnkd.in/g5QQqUJb

💡 A special thank you to the mentors and advisors Moriah Ellen, Adam Rose, Sivan Spitzer, who support this talented group of students and offer guidance, expertise, and direction. Your mentorship continues to shape the next generation of researchers turning knowledge into action.

We’re excited for the year ahead, strengthening this unique network, building our collective capacity, and continuing to turn knowledge into action.

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, The The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Faculty of Medicine Bar-Ilan University

Translating research into action: a day of insight, dialogue, and innovation at IS-PEC ✨

Recently we had the honor of welcoming Dr. Noah Ivers for a full day of and exchange at the Israel Science and Policy Engagement Centre (IS-PEC) hosted by Moriah Ellen and the Centre.

We kicked off with an advanced seminar on implementation trials, diving deep into the “how” of translating into practice through case studies real world scenarios. This was followed by a group discussion on strengthening evidence use in health systems and creating meaningful change through implementation science.

Our fellows also had the rare opportunity for one-on-one consultations with Dr. Ivers, gaining personalized feedback, new perspectives, and sparks for future research directions.

The day wrapped up with a strategic on next steps and opportunities for collaboration. We left feeling energized, grateful, and full of ideas for what’s next.

A heartfelt thank-you to Dr. Ivers for your generosity, insights, and reminding us what’s possible when research truly meets policy.

Lastly, thank you to Israel Young Academy for the funding that enabled this memorable day and was a key catalyst for bringing academic insights to bear on real-world challenges.

Big congratulations to IS-PEC Fellow Shifra Unger (Gottlieb) who presented her important work at the Israel Schools of Public Health Conference!

Through a scoping review, she was able to comprehensively map knowledge translation and exchange ( ) that support evidence informed policymaking at the national level.

The research identified 57 theories, models and framework (TMF) that cover seven broad categories:

(1) Policy development and implementation
(2) Knowledge transfer and exchange
(3) Relationship building
(4) Stakeholder engagement
(5) Capacity
(6) Sustainability
(7)Assessment.

This work offers a clearer picture of the tools available to strengthen evidence-informed policymaking at the national level. It offers both conceptual clarity and practical guidance for designing, selecting, or adapting models to inform national policy contexts.

Thank you to Moriah Ellen, Tehila Kalagy, Sivan Regev סיון רגב, Saritte Perlman, Kim van der Braak, Pauline Heus, for your contribution to this research!

, , ,

Nadav Davidovitch, Dorit Efrat-Treister, Professor Zohar Mor

On October 20th, World Evidence-Based Healthcare Day led by JBI, Cochrane, The Campbell Collaboration, Institute of Development Studies, Centre for Evidence-based Health Care, Instituto Veredas is amplifying the conversation on the role of collaborative knowledge communication in evidence-based healthcare.

We know that patients, providers, and communities all benefit when evidence-based healthcare is used. But as distrust and skepticism toward science is growing, communicating effectively is critical!

To become an Evidence Ambassador, you can submit a blog, short video, host an event or submit visual media. To learn more, Check out the website, https://worldebhcday.org/become-an-evidence-ambassador

Read IS-PEC’s 2025 Fall Newsletter 🍁

We share exciting updates about recently published research, highlights from conferences and workshops and more!

Check it out: https://mailchi.mp/7f3d616bf95b/spring2025-14196197

Every day in Israel right now is filled with both heartbreak and courage. Like so many of you, we carry both grief and hope in equal measure. Nearly two years into this war, families are still waiting for the return of loved ones held hostage, and our soldiers continue to risk and lose their lives so that we may live freely and safely in our land. These are not distant headlines but the realities we and our loved ones face each day.

Within this pain we also witness resilience, courage, and determination. At IS-PEC, we are reminded daily that science, policy, and community are not abstract ideas but practical tools of resilience, forces that help societies endure hardship and chart a path forward. The work we do together, sharing knowledge, strengthening systems, building partnerships, has never felt more urgent, nor more essential to ensuring that evidence translates into impact.

In the year ahead, we plan to deepen our partnerships, amplify the voices of communities in shaping health policy, and respond more directly to the demand for knowledge that is not only rigorous, but usable. We want to build tools and spaces that make evidence utilization part of the public conversation, ensuring decisions reflect both expertise, user needs and lived experience.

We invite you to look both inward and outward: inward to reflect on the strength of our community, and outward to the opportunities we have to shape a healthier, more just future. While the challenges around us are profound, so too is the hope and responsibility we carry forward into the new year. To learn more about our work, read our Fall Newsletter:
https://mailchi.mp/7f3d616bf95b/spring2025-14196197

With gratitude and commitment,
Moriah Ellen

💊 IS-PEC Talks with Dr. Karen Born: What Happens When Evidence Talks Human?

Op-eds. Pamphlets. Medical education reform.

This isn’t your typical “implementation science” checklist, but it’s exactly what made Choosing Wisely Canada a global force.

In this inspiring episode, Moriah Ellen speaks with Dr. Karen Born, an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. She also serves as Program Director of the Master of Health Science (MHSc) in Health Administration, a program that blends health policy and business leadership to train the next generation of system changers. She was also the former Lead for the Choosing Wisely Canada Campaign.

Listen as she takes us inside a campaign that didn’t just share evidence. It changed conversations.

From writing for medical journals to writing for parents in cold-and-flu season, Karen shows us:
-> How to make evidence usable, not just accurate.
-> Why patients need more than “You don’t need this medicine” they need alternatives.
-> How a student-led approach transformed how medical schools teach overuse.
-> What happens when you let leadership flourish at every level of the system.

🧠 “People don’t want to be told no. They want to be told what else.”

This is implementation science for real people and a lesson in what happens when we treat communication, education, and partnership as non-negotiable.

📣 What’s the best public-facing campaign you’ve seen that actually changed behavior?

Drop it in the comments! We’re collecting examples.

🔗 Full interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtmAW24hxg0

IS-PEC Talks: Dr. Karen Born ISPEC Talks: The monthly series features engaging conversations with global leaders in implementation science and policy engagement. Hosted by IS-PEC founder...