University of Wisconsin–Madison

Implementation Science and Engineering Lab

Our research group strives to accelerate the use of evidence-based practices in clinical and community settings using implementation approaches that use principles and tools from systems engineering:

 3 main columns describing the basis for the Implementation Science and Engineering Lab: Column 1: The National Academy of Engineering defines engineering as fundamentally “making science useful to people.” Engineers solve problems by making science work to the benefit of humanity. Hence, we named our group the Implementation Science and Engineering Lab. Column 2: Implementation is a complex social process predicated on human decision making. Actively seeking to understand the perspectives and values of patients, clinicians, organizational leaders, and payers is essential to maximize the probability of successful implementation. Column 3: Innovation often stems from understanding a wide array of disciplines, synthesizing key ideas from diverse fields, and applying them in useful fashion to the problem at hand. The Implementation Science and Engineering Lab is committed to innovation in the field of implementation research.

Principal Investigator

Andrew Quanbeck 

Headshot of Dr. Andrew Quanbeck
Dr. Andrew Quanbeck and lab members posing for a group selfie outdoors.

What’s new in the ISELab?

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Aerial view of a UW Health hospital in Madison, Wisconsin.

Top 10 Research Article

Our study, “4 Strategies to De-implement Opioid Prescribing in Primary Care,” was named a UW SMPH Top Ten Research Story (2025).

Academy Health logo

Plenary Speaker

Dr. Andrew Quanbeck named as plenary speaker for the 2024 Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health.

Logo for the International Congress on Integrative Medicine and Health

Plenary Speaker

Drs. Andrew Quanbeck and Joshua Plavin were invited plenary speakers at the 2026 International Congress on Integrative Medicine and Health in Salt Lake City, Utah, on April 22, 2026. Their presentation topic was Implementation Science as a Catalyst to Transform Care for Chronic Pain.

Line graphs showing changes in heavy drinking days, alcohol use severity, and quality of life over seven months after baseline.

Tula Digital Health Study

Results of the Tula digital health alcohol reductions study published in npj Digital Medicine!

Osher Center for Integrative Health, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health logo.

Director of Research

Dr. Quanbeck nominated & accepted as Associate Director of Research at UW-Madison Osher Center for Integrative Medicine.

People gathered inside the Wisconsin State Capitol rotunda during the Research in the Rotunda Event

Herzog Research Spotlight

Mallory Herzog invited to present Hilldale Fellowship work at Research in the Rotunda and National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR).