About Melanie Barwick
I’m a Registered Psychologist and Senior Scientist at the SickKids Research Institute, where I hold a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Implementation Science and Practice (2024–2031). I’m also a Professor and Affiliated Scientist at the University of Toronto in the Department of Psychiatry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, and in the Social and Behavioural Health Sciences Program and the Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
My work focuses on bridging the gap between research and real-world practice. I study how to help organizations adopt and sustain evidence-based innovations across health, mental health, global health, and education. Over the years, I’ve created practical tools and training programs to make knowledge translation and implementation easier and more effective, including the Specialist Knowledge Translation Training Program (SKTT), the Knowledge Translation Professional Certificate (KTPC), the Planning for Implementation Practice (PIP) workshop, and tools like the Knowledge Translation Planning Template, The KT Game, The Implementation Roadmap, and the Knowledge Translation Plan Appraisal Tool.
Right now, I’m focused on advancing The Implementation Playbook (TIP), a digital SaaS platform that guides teams through planning, executing, and sustaining their implementation work.
I believe passionately that Implementation Matters and that research should make a real difference in people’s lives.
Helping organizations utilize evidence effectively can enhance systems, minimize waste, and ultimately improve outcomes for communities. I also work closely with healthcare and child and youth mental health organizations to build implementation capacity. I recently served as Board Chair for Children’s Mental Health Ontario (2023-2025) and as a Board Member (2019 -2026). I also sit on the Institute Advisory Board for CIHR’s Institute of Health Services and Policy Research, as well as the editorial board of Implementation Research and Practice.
Contact Information
Melanie Barwick, Ph.D., C.Psych.
Senior Scientist
Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Research Institute
The Hospital for Sick Children