Dedicated to getting to results.
Dedicated to getting to outcomes.

For us, it is not enough to identify the strategies that lead to positive outcomes. At Wandersman Center, we are more interested in helping people reach those outcomes with the populations that they serve.​

Furthermore, we draw extensively upon the related literature of formative evaluation and improvement science to advance projects and implementation while they are being implemented. These processes help address issues as they occur so that incremental change can be strategically made to an initiative.

These evidence-based principles are outlined within our downloadable Readiness-Building Guide. 

BE READY

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​If it is important to be evidence-based in our interventions, isn’t it also important to be evidence-based in how we provide support via tools, training, technical assistance, and quality assurance/quality improvement? To find out more about the evidence-based support activities of Wandersman Center, please read a recent blog post that addresses this subject. 

New Articles

To access the most recently published articles co-authored by the organization's founder,  click the citations below.

Scott, V. C., Jillani, Z., Malpert, A., Kolodny-Goetz, J., & Wandersman, A. (2022). A scoping review of the evaluation and effectiveness of technical assistance. Implementation Science Communications 3(70). DOI: 10.1186/s43058-022-00314-1

Acosta, J., Chinman, M., Tharp, A., Baker, J., Flaspohler, P., Fortson, B., Kerr, A., Lamont, A., Meyer, A., Smucker, S., Wargel, K., & Wandersman, A. (2022). Development and pilot test of criteria defining best practices for organizational sexual assault prevention. Preventive Medicine Reports 26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101723

Watson, A. K., Hernandez, B. F., Kolodny-Goetz, J., Walker, T. J., Lamont, A., Imm, P., Wandersman, A., & Fernandez, M. E. (2022). Using implementation mapping to build organizational readiness.  Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 1-10.   DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.904652    

​Kenworthy, T., Domlyn, A., Scott, V. C., Schwartz, R., & Wandersman, A. (2022). A proactive, systematic approach to building the capacity of technical assistance providers. Health Promotion Practice. Advance online publication. DOI: 10.1177/15248399221080096

Splett, J. W., Perales, K., Miller, E., Hartley, S. N., Wandersman, A., Halliday, C. A., & Weist, M. D. (2022). Using readiness to understand implementation challenges in school mental health research. Journal of Community Psychology, 1-21. DOI: 10.1002/jcop.22818

What We Do

Research
We provide extensive research consultation and support by helping people process data and underlying relationships. Sometimes, this means we assist researchers in asking the right questions, but in other cases, we collaborate with existing projects and run analyses.

Evaluation
Wandersman Center's team members
are among the industry leaders in understanding and using actionable
​data for making implementation improvement. We specialize in mixed-methods formative evaluation. 

Support
Within our partnerships, we offer multiple ways to assist projects in building their readiness and ability to implement and evaluate well.   We use the Evidence-Based System for Implementation Support, an in-depth approach to designing and executing support strategies to help stakeholders succeed.

Meet Abe
Our Founder

​"I have been interested, for a long time, perhaps forever in my career, on how we can make a better world."

The core belief that people can improve their own lives is something that has been with Dr. Abraham "Abe" Wandersman since the beginning of his career. Early in his graduate studies, Abe became fascinated with understanding what people can do for themselves to solve problems. 

Abe has decades of experience related to improving programs and communities. His work, which focuses on how to bridge the gap between research and practice, has received international acclaim. As a professor emeritus of the University of South Carolina, Abe is busier than ever. 

In 2018, Abe founded the Wandersman Center with the goal of improving the quality of services for individual and community health and wellbeing through practical implementation science. Abe plays an active role in all of our projects, bringing ideas to fruition and encouraging others to do the same. 

Excerpt from:  https://web.archive.org/web/20200921041909/http://www.midlandsanchor.com/commitment-to-community-abe-wandersman-offers-expertise-to-help-columbia-thrive/

click here to read more about abe's approach, experiences, and accomplishments

Locations

Wandersman Center South
Located in downtown Columbia, South Carolina, our main office is conveniently situated close to the flagship University of South Carolina and multiple state and community-level agencies. We are deeply connected to many stakeholders throughout the region. 

1512 Laurel Street
Columbia, SC 29201

Wandersman Center North 
​Strategically positioned in New York City, Wandersman Center North has ready access to the Northeast's major population centers of New York City, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Washington, DC.