The Bloorview Research Institute (BRI) has appointed Dr. Sarah Munce as its first associate chief of implementation science, a new role that will help translate research outputs into real world impact for children and youth with disabilities and their families.

The decision to create the role reflects a strategic commitment at BRI to fully integrate research, clinical care and data systems in order to build a true learning health system.

“This integration is essential for accelerating discovery and translating evidence into practice in real time,” said Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou, vice-president of research and director of BRI. “We set a clear timeline for achieving this vision, and now is the moment to put the leadership structure in place to deliver on that commitment.”

Dr. Munce is an implementation scientist at BRI and an associate professor at the University of Toronto. She is nationally recognized for her work in implementation science, co-design, and youth and family engagement. Earlier this year, she received a $1-million Implementation Science Chair from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to advance youth and family engagement in learning health systems across Canada.

Implementation science plays a central role in building learning health systems, helping translate evidence into practice and ensuring that new knowledge is applied in real time.

A learning health system is an environment where care, data, research and lived experience are continuously connected to support improvement. Information from clinical care, patient-reported measures and research evidence is collected and analysed in real time, creating a feedback loop where new insights are rapidly applied to practice.

“In pediatric rehabilitation, the needs of children and youth often change over time,” said Dr. Munce. “A learning health system allows us to respond quickly and thoughtfully by connecting diverse forms of evidence with what matters most to children, youth and families.”

The new implementation science leadership role aligns closely with BRI’s 2023–2030 strategic priorities. The plan calls for advancing precision health through linked clinical and research data, building infrastructure for data science and AI, and building expertise in implementation science to promote the uptake of research findings into care, policy and practice. The plan also supports the development of a learning health system to promote the best possible care outcomes, alongside co-design with children, youth, families and communities and advancing inclusive and equity-driven research practices.

Similarly, the hospital’s HB2030 plan reflects input from more than 1,000 staff, clients, families, trainees and partners who emphasized the need for real-time data use, stronger integration of research and care, enhanced attention to equity and stronger partnerships with youth and families. BRI’s scientific leadership plays an important role in supporting these commitments.

Over the past year, Holland Bloorview has developed a learning health system framework co-designed by clinicians, researchers, families and operations teams. Early initiatives include the creation of an internal LHS hub, expansion of common data elements, real-time data access for quality improvement and demonstration projects in Employment Pathways and the Extensive Needs Service.

In her new BRI role, Dr. Munce will focus on strengthening implementation science capacity within the research institute and collaborating closely with hospital partners on shared learning health system goals. This includes supporting youth and family partnerships in governance and decision-making; advancing patient-reported measures that reflect what matters most to children and youth; promoting the adoption of effective practices through implementation science; and helping embed sustainable LHS practices across BRI in alignment with hospital-wide efforts.

“Becoming a learning health system is central to our HB2030 commitment to deliver agile, equitable and evidence-informed care,” said Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou, vice-president of research and director of the Bloorview Research Institute. “Sarah brings deep knowledge in implementation science and meaningful engagement with youth and families. Her leadership and expertise will help strengthen the systems, data and partnerships we need, enabling us to translate discoveries into better lives and experiences for children and youth with disabilities.”

Dr. Munce noted the collaborative nature of this work is what motivates her the most.

“Families bring lived experience, clinicians bring practical insight and researchers help interpret evidence,” she said. “When we learn together, we improve care in ways that reflect the needs and strengths of our community.”

Looking ahead, she envisions success as a cultural shift—one where curiosity, evidence use, co-design and continuous improvement are embedded into everyday practice.

“Implementation science helps us understand how to bring evidence into practice in thoughtful and effective ways,” said Dr. Munce. “By applying this lens within a learning health system, we can create continuous cycles of learning and improvement that ultimately strengthen care and outcomes for children, youth and families.”

By Priyanka Shah