TY - JOUR T1 - The African Health Initiative’s Role in Advancing the Use of Embedded Implementation Research for Health Systems Strengthening JF - Global Health: Science and Practice JO - GLOB HEALTH SCI PRACT DO - 10.9745/GHSP-D-22-00318 VL - 10 IS - Supplement 1 SP - e2200318 AU - Abdul Ghaffar AU - Livia Dal Zennaro AU - Nhan Tran Y1 - 2022/09/15 UR - http://www.ghspjournal.org/content/10/Supplement_1/e2200318.abstract N2 - Key MessagesThe embedded implementation research (EIR) approach involves engaging policy makers and decision makers at each stage from the design to the dissemination of research and increases the likelihood of the use of research evidence to better inform policy and management decisions.The African Health Initiative is an example of a public enterprise that has demonstrated success in developing domestic research capacity and strengthening health systems in sub-Saharan Africa by integrating the EIR approach into its projects.Further efforts and investments are needed to increase the sustainability and scalability of the EIR approach to improve the performance of national health systems.Embedded implementation research (EIR) is an approach to integrating knowledge generation and decision making about policy and program implementation that has been conceptualized and promoted by the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research (AHPSR) since 2012. The understanding and use of EIR as an approach to address knowledge gaps in health systems is gaining traction within the global health community. The African Health Initiative (AHI) has built on the EIR approach and demonstrated notable success in pursuing the twin agendas of health systems strengthening and research capacity strengthening. Since its inception, the AHI has produced more than 350 publications; trained more than 3,000 researchers, decision makers, and health workers; and strengthened the institutional capacities of more than 300 health facilities and research institutions across Africa.1 In addition to having influenced the policies and practices of many countries, this work has also helped to shape the thinking of researchers, policy makers, and development partners on the use of EIR as a means of health systems strengthening.2 This longstanding collaboration has engendered extensive learning about the effectiveness of the EIR approach and its contributions to improving the use of knowledge to strengthen health systems. In this commentary, we trace … ER -