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As an implementation scientist, Prof. Fontaine navigates the complex terrain of bringing scientific advancements into everyday use, devising strategies to overcome barriers and ensuring that research findings effectively enhance healthcare and societal outcomes. His research focuses on the methodological approaches used throughout implementation research to support adoption, penetration and sustainability of evidence-based interventions, practices, programs, and policies in healthcare, with a focus on infectious diseases and equity-deserving population groups. Over the last few years, he has worked with leading implementation scientists in Canada and Australia, using novel approaches from implementation science to establish and improve provincial and national initiatives focused on the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases such as hepatitis C.

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As a co-investigator in the Canadian Network on Hepatitis C (CanHepC) and member of the CanHepC Implementation Science Working Group (2020 – Present), Prof. Fontaine has led and contributed to projects investigating determinants of evidence-practice gaps regarding hepatitis C care for people who inject drugs (eg Fontaine IJDP 2023), people who are incarcerated (eg Saavedra Ruiz, Fontaine IJDP 2022), as well as for immigrants. Additionally, he has contributed to high-impact systematic reviews on interventions to improve hepatitis C care (Cunningham Lancet Gastro Hep 2022; Cunningham IJDP 2023). His expertise in implementation science led to his appointment at Visiting Fellow at the Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney to spearhead implementation research on the National Australian Hepatitis C Point-of-Care Testing Program as a Visiting Fellow (2023–Present).

Research Areas of Interest:

1. Infectious disease implementation research to promote the uptake of testing and treatment of HIV and viral hepatitis
2. Decentralised point-of-care testing in community organizations serving equity-deserving groups (e.g., people who inject drugs, recent immigrants to Canada)
3. Stigma related to HIV and viral hepatitis, and its impact on healthcare access

Current projects include:

• Fontaine G, Grebely J, Cunningham EB, Hajarizadeh B, Guy R, Causer L, Lafferty L, Nicholls W, Rudge T, Marshall AD, Mortazhejri S, Hung JHC, Hengel B, Matthews S, Treloar C, Applegate T, Presseau J, Wiseman V, Shih S, Grimshaw JM, Taylor N, Roth JM, Wolfenden L, Kingsland M, Vallely A, Sazzad H & Kwon A. (2023). Effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, implementation strategies, and barriers and facilitators of point-of-care testing for HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections: A comprehensive series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. PROSPERO 2023 CRD42023454784 Available from: :
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• Developing the program impact theory of the National Australian Hepatitis C Point-of-Care Testing Program
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• Investigating barriers and enablers to hepatitis C point-of-care testing for people who inject drugs, people who are incarcerated and immigrants in Canada