Community-Driven Research to Improve Behavioral Health
The Maryland Implementation Research Program conducts community-driven research to improve mental health and substance use services in Maryland and around the world. We work with communities, providers, and policymakers to turn research into action.
We study how evidence-based programs can be adapted, implemented, and sustained in schools, healthcare systems, and communities.
Maryland-Based | Community-Driven | Global Impact
Research Areas
Behavioral Health
Improving mental health and substance use services across the lifespan.
Implementation Science
Understanding how evidence-based programs can be adapted, implemented, and sustained.
Community-Engaged Research
Partnering with communities to identify priorities and co-design solutions.
The Maryland Implementation Research Program conducts community-driven research to improve mental health and substance use in Maryland and around the world. Our work brings together researchers, healthcare providers, schools, community organizations, and policymakers to develop solutions that are both evidence-based and practical for real-world settings.
Many effective programs never reach the people who need them most. We focus on understanding how evidence-based practices can be adapted, implemented, and sustained across diverse settings. Rather than asking only whether an intervention works, we also ask how it can work in everyday practice and create lasting impact.
Our research spans a range of behavioral health challenges, including mental health and substance use. We partner with communities throughout Maryland and collaborate with organizations across the globe to identify priorities, co-design solutions, and strengthen systems of care. We currently have projects across Maryland, Washington, DC, and South Africa.
We welcome collaborations with students, community organizations, healthcare systems, and researchers who share our commitment to improving behavioral health through partnership, implementation, and impact.
Dr. Noah S. Triplett is the Founder and Director of the Maryland Implementation Research Program and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. He also serves as Associate Director of Implementation Research and Practice at the Center for Substance Use, Addiction & Health Research (CESAR).
Dr. Triplett is a licensed clinical psychologist and implementation scientist whose work focuses on improving access to mental health and substance use services. His research spans rural health, global mental health, and implementation science, with projects in Maryland, South Africa, and Kenya. He works alongside communities, healthcare providers, schools, and policymakers to develop practical solutions that improve behavioral health outcomes and strengthen systems of care.
The Maryland Implementation Research Program conducts research in partnership with communities, healthcare providers, schools, and policymakers to improve behavioral health outcomes. Our projects span local and global settings and focus on understanding how evidence-based practices can be effectively implemented and sustained in real-world environments. Current projects are supported by federal, state, and university funding partners.
Rural MAPS: Improving Adolescent Substance Use Services in Rural Communities
Funded by the Center for Addiction Research, Education, and Service Science to Systems Program
Rural MAPS (Multi-level Approach to Preventing and Treating Adolescent Substance Use in Rural Communities) is a community-engaged research project conducted in partnership with youth, families, schools, behavioral health providers, and community organizations across rural Maryland. Through interviews and implementation planning activities, the project seeks to strengthen prevention, treatment, and recovery services for adolescents affected by substance use.
Recovery Opportunities Through Ongoing Treatment Sustainment (ROOTS): A Dynamic Approach to Integrate and Sustain Adolescent Substance Use Services in Rural Schools
Funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
ROOTS is an implementation research project focused on integrating and sustaining adolescent substance use services within rural schools. Developed in partnership with schools, healthcare providers and community organizations, ROOTS seeks to strengthen long-term recovery support and improve access to evidence-based behavioral health services.
Our work is strengthened through partnerships with leading researchers, institutions, healthcare systems and community organizations in Maryland and around the world. These collaborations support research, training, mentorship, and the development of innovative approaches to improving mental health and substance use services across diverse settings.
Maryland Collaborators
We are closely affiliated with the Center for Substance Use, Addiction & Health Research (CESAR) at the University of Maryland. Through this partnership, we contribute to research focused on substance use prevention, treatment, recovery, and implementation science while engaging in interdisciplinary collaborations across Maryland and beyond. We also work closely with colleagues at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
National Collaborators
We collaborate closely with researchers at the University of Washington on projects focused on implementation science, youth mental health, evidence-based interventions and community-based service delivery. We also work closely with investigators at the Duke Global Health Institute to advance implementation science and global mental health research, with a focus on strengthening behavioral health systems and improving access to care.
Global Collaborators
We are fortunate to work with colleagues at the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), the University of Cape Town, the University of Nairobi, and Curtin University.
We welcome opportunities to collaborate with researchers, students, community organizations, healthcare systems, and policymakers who share our commitment to improving behavioral health through partnership, implementation, and impact.
Contact
Department: Behavioral and Community Health
Room Number: SPH 1234L
Director: Noah S. Triplett, PhD
Office Phone Number: (301) 405-2438
Email: ntrip7@umd.edu