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Published: 04 June 2026

HSE Walk and Talk Improvement podcast episode 32

Podcast title

Episode 32: Implementation Science: underpinning sustainable improvement

About this podcast

In our latest episode, we are joined by Dr. Laura Keyes. Laura is the Director, Centre for Implementation Research, University of Limerick.

Listen to our conversation to hear:

  • what implementation science is and how you can use it to underpin sustainable improvement
  • insights to support our work to implement change and lead sustainable improvement
  • about the key frameworks and practical examples of how they might be applied
  • the value and impact of early planning, stakeholder engagement, and organisational readiness.

The discussion highlights how implementation science can help you pre-empt and address challenges. Implementation science can help you foster system-wide thinking for better outcomes. From human behaviour in healthcare to ethical considerations in implementation, this episode shares how implementation science can move beyond theory to create tangible community improvements.

Laura's biography

Dr. Laura Keyes, Director of the multidisciplinary Centre for Implementation Research at the University of Limerick.

She leads a team dedicated to supporting implementation methodologies to improve the traction of evidence-based policy, programme and professional practices in routine public service delivery.

Dr. Keyes works in both the development of implementation tools, frameworks and theories and in the practical application of implementation research to real world problems. She has a particular interest in taking a person-centred approach, ensuring translation of science into practice and promoting evidence and practice informed policy making.

Prior to joining the Centre, Dr. Keyes worked in the Health Information and Quality Authority. She lead on the implementation of legislative changes to regulation and regulatory practice change. Dr. Keyes has previously held academic roles in Manchester and Cambridge in the UK, where her subject area was public health epidemiology.

Hosted by: Juanita Guidera, HSE National Quality and Patient Safety