Donna Shelley

Professor of Public Health Policy and Management

Co-Director of the Global Center for Implementation Science

Professional overview

Dr. Shelley is a tenured Professor in the Department of Public Health Policy and Management and the founding Co-Director of the Global Center for Implementation Science at the NYU School of Global Public Health. She conducts translational, population-based, and policy-relevant research that aims to accelerate dissemination and implementation of tobacco use treatment in safety net health care delivery systems and implementation of tobacco control policies. This research has been funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institute of Drug Abuse, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the New York State Department of Health.

Dr. Shelley’s implementation research focuses on building the evidence for effective theory-driven strategies that target barriers to implementation and sustainability of evidence-based tobacco use treatment in primary care settings in the U.S. and Viet Nam. Her research is also addressing the growing dual burden of noncommunicable and communicable diseases in LMICs and, specifically, the health impact on people living with HIV/AIDS.  Her policy research includes a completed NCI-funded study that evaluated the impact of the US federally mandated smoke-free public housing policy on exposure to secondhand smoke and explored the implementation process to identify strategies with the potential to improve the process and maximize public health impact.

Education

BS, University of Pennsylvania, PA

MD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, NY

MPH, Health Policy and Management, Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, NY

Areas of research and study

Health Systems Strengthening

Implementation science

Tobacco Cessation

Tobacco Policy

Publications

Publications

A community-academic partnership to develop an implementation support package for overdose prevention in permanent supportive housing

Attributes of higher- and lower-performing hospitals in the Consult for Addiction Treatment and Care in Hospitals (CATCH) program implementation: A multiple-case study

Implementation of a peer-delivered opioid overdose response initiative in New York City emergency departments: Insight from multi-stakeholder qualitative interviews

Social network alcohol use is associated with individual-level alcohol use among Black sexually minoritized men and gender-expansive people: Findings from the Neighborhoods and Networks (N2) cohort study

Staff views on overdose prevention in permanent supportive housing

The sustainability of health interventions implemented in Africa: an updated systematic review on evidence and future research perspectives

Nwaozuru, U., Murphy, P., Richard, A., Obiezu-Umeh, C., Shato, T., Obionu, I., Gbajabiamila, T., Oladele, D., Mason, S., Takenaka, B. P., Blessing, L. A., Engelhart, A., Nkengasong, S., Chinaemerem, I. D., Anikamadu, O., Adeoti, E., Patel, P., Ojo, T., Olusanya, O., … Iwelunmor, J. (n.d.).

Publication year

2025

Journal title

Implementation Science Communications

Volume

6

Issue

1

10.1186/s43058-025-00716-x

Abstract

Abstract

Background: Sustaining evidence-based interventions in resource-limited settings is critical to optimizing gains in health outcomes. In 2015, we published a review of the sustainability of health interventions in African countries, highlighting gaps in the measurement and conceptualization of sustainability in the region. This review updates and expands upon the original review to account for developments in the past decade and recommendations for promoting sustainability. Methods: First, we searched five databases (PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Global Health, and Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL)) for studies published between 2015 and 2022. We repeated the search in 2023 and 2024. The review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines. Studies were included if they reported on the sustainability of health interventions implemented in African countries. Study findings were summarized using descriptive statistics and narrative synthesis, and sustainability strategies were categorized based on the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) strategies. Results: Thirty-four publications with 22 distinct interventions were included in the review. Twelve African countries were represented in this review, with Nigeria (n = 6) having the most representation of available studies examining sustainability. Compared to the 2016 review, a similar proportion of studies clearly defined sustainability (52% in the current review versus 51% in the 2015 review). Eight unique strategies to foster sustainability emerged, namely: a) multi-sectorial partnership and developing stakeholder relationships, b) tailoring strategies to enhance program fit and integration, c) active stakeholder engagement and collaboration, d) capacity building through training, e) accessing new funding, f) adaptation, g) co-creation of intervention and implementation strategies and h) providing infrastructural support. The most prevalent facilitators of sustainability were related to micro-level factors (e.g., intervention fit and community engagement). In contrast, salient barriers were related to structural-level factors (e.g., limited financial resources). Conclusions: This review highlights some progress in the published reports on the sustainability of evidence-based intervention in Africa. The review emphasizes the importance of innovation in strategies to foster funding determinants for sustainable interventions. In addition, it underscores the need for developing contextually relevant sustainability frameworks that emphasize these salient determinants of sustainability in the region.

A "what Matters Most" approach to investigating intersectional stigma toward HIV and cancer in Hanoi, Vietnam

Depression and associated factors among HIV-positive smokers receiving care at HIV outpatient clinics in Vietnam: A cross-sectional analysis

Emergency Nurses’ Perceived Barriers and Solutions to Engaging Patients With Life-Limiting Illnesses in Serious Illness Conversations: A United States Multicenter Mixed-Method Analysis

Failed generating bibliography.

Publication year

2024

Journal title

Journal of Emergency Nursing

Volume

50

Issue

2

Page(s)

225-242

10.1016/j.jen.2023.09.010

Abstract

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to assess emergency nurses’ perceived barriers toward engaging patients in serious illness conversations. Methods: Using a mixed-method (quant + QUAL) convergent design, we pooled data on the emergency nurses who underwent the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium training across 33 emergency departments. Data were extracted from the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium post-training questionnaire, comprising a 5-item survey and 1 open-ended question. Our quantitative analysis employed a cross-sectional design to assess the proportion of emergency nurses who report that they will encounter barriers in engaging seriously ill patients in serious illness conversations in the emergency department. Our qualitative analysis used conceptual content analysis to generate themes and meaning units of the perceived barriers and possible solutions toward having serious illness conversations in the emergency department. Results: A total of 2176 emergency nurses responded to the survey. Results from the quantitative analysis showed that 1473 (67.7%) emergency nurses reported that they will encounter barriers while engaging in serious illness conversations. Three thematic barriers—human factors, time constraints, and challenges in the emergency department work environment—emerged from the content analysis. Some of the subthemes included the perceived difficulty of serious illness conversations, delay in daily throughput, and lack of privacy in the emergency department. The potential solutions extracted included the need for continued training, the provision of dedicated emergency nurses to handle serious illness conversations, and the creation of dedicated spaces for serious illness conversations. Discussion: Emergency nurses may encounter barriers while engaging in serious illness conversations. Institutional-level policies may be required in creating a palliative care-friendly emergency department work environment.

Factors associated with retention in Quitline counseling for smoking cessation among HIV-positive smokers receiving care at HIV outpatient clinics in Vietnam

Factors Influencing Tobacco Smoking and Cessation Among People Living with HIV: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Identifying important and feasible primary care structures and processes in the US healthcare system: a modified Delphi study

State of the Science of Scale-Up of Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Interventions in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Scoping Review

Temporal Trends in Tobacco Smoking Prevalence During the Period 2010–2020 in Vietnam: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

Vu, L. T. H., Bui, Q. T. T., Shelley, D., Niaura, R., Tran, B. Q., Pham, N. Q., Nguyen, L. T., Chu, A., Pratt, A., Thi Lan Pham, C., & Hoang, M. V. (n.d.).

Publication year

2024

Journal title

International Journal of Public Health

Volume

69

10.3389/ijph.2024.1607104

Abstract

Abstract

Objectives: This study used repeated cross-sectional data from three national surveys in Vietnam to determine tobacco smoking prevalence from 2010 to 2020 and disparities among demographic and socioeconomic groups. Methods: Tobacco smoking temporal trends were estimated for individuals aged 15 and over and stratified by demographic and socioeconomic status (SES). Prevalence estimates used survey weights and 95% confidence intervals. Logistic regression models adjusted for survey sample characteristics across time were used to examine trends. Results: Tobacco smoking prevalence dropped from 23.8% in 2010 to 22.5% in 2015 and 20.8% in 2020. The adjusted OR for 2015 compared to 2010 was 0.87, and for 2020 compared to 2010 was 0.69. Smoking decreased less for employed individuals than unemployed individuals in 2020 compared to 2010. Smoking was higher in the lower SES group in all 3 years. Higher-SES households have seen a decade-long drop in tobacco use. Conclusion: This prevalence remained constant in lower SES households. This highlights the need for targeted interventions to address the specific challenges faced by lower-SES smokers and emphasizes the importance of further research to inform effective policies.

Utilizing a patient advocacy-led clinical network to engage diverse, community-based sites in implementation-effectiveness research

Variability in self-reported and biomarker-derived tobacco smoke exposure patterns among individuals who do not smoke by poverty income ratio in the USA

“In the Village That She Comes from, Most of the People Don’t Know Anything about Cervical Cancer”: A Health Systems Appraisal of Cervical Cancer Prevention Services in Tanzania

A Matched Analysis of the Association Between Federally Mandated Smoke-Free Housing Policies and Health Outcomes Among Medicaid-Enrolled Children in Subsidized Housing, New York City, 2015-2019

An effectiveness-implementation hybrid trial of phone-based tobacco cessation interventions in the Lebanese primary healthcare system: protocol for project PHOENICS

Attitudes, perceptions, and preferences towards SARS CoV-2 testing and vaccination among African American and Hispanic public housing residents, New York City: 2020–2021

Could international human rights obligations motivate countries to implement tobacco cessation support?

Data envelopment analysis to evaluate the efficiency of tobacco treatment programs in the NCI Moonshot Cancer Center Cessation Initiative

Pluta, K., Hohl, S. D., D’Angelo, H., Ostroff, J. S., Shelley, D., Asvat, Y., Chen, L. S., Cummings, K. M., Dahl, N., Day, A. T., Fleisher, L., Goldstein, A. O., Hayes, R., Hitsman, B., Buckles, D. H., King, A. C., Lam, C. Y., Lenhoff, K., Levinson, A. H., … Salloum, R. G. (n.d.).

Publication year

2023

Journal title

Implementation Science Communications

Volume

4

Issue

1

10.1186/s43058-023-00433-3

Abstract

Abstract

Background: The Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3I) is a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Moonshot Program that supports NCI-designated cancer centers developing tobacco treatment programs for oncology patients who smoke. C3I-funded centers implement evidence-based programs that offer various smoking cessation treatment components (e.g., counseling, Quitline referrals, access to medications). While evaluation of implementation outcomes in C3I is guided by evaluation of reach and effectiveness (via RE-AIM), little is known about technical efficiency—i.e., how inputs (e.g., program costs, staff time) influence implementation outcomes (e.g., reach, effectiveness). This study demonstrates the application of data envelopment analysis (DEA) as an implementation science tool to evaluate technical efficiency of C3I programs and advance prioritization of implementation resources. Methods: DEA is a linear programming technique widely used in economics and engineering for assessing relative performance of production units. Using data from 16 C3I-funded centers reported in 2020, we applied input-oriented DEA to model technical efficiency (i.e., proportion of observed outcomes to benchmarked outcomes for given input levels). The primary models used the constant returns-to-scale specification and featured cost-per-participant, total full-time equivalent (FTE) effort, and tobacco treatment specialist effort as model inputs and reach and effectiveness (quit rates) as outcomes. Results: In the DEA model featuring cost-per-participant (input) and reach/effectiveness (outcomes), average constant returns-to-scale technical efficiency was 25.66 (SD = 24.56). When stratified by program characteristics, technical efficiency was higher among programs in cohort 1 (M = 29.15, SD = 28.65, n = 11) vs. cohort 2 (M = 17.99, SD = 10.16, n = 5), with point-of-care (M = 33.90, SD = 28.63, n = 9) vs. no point-of-care services (M = 15.59, SD = 14.31, n = 7), larger (M = 33.63, SD = 30.38, n = 8) vs. smaller center size (M = 17.70, SD = 15.00, n = 8), and higher (M = 29.65, SD = 30.99, n = 8) vs. lower smoking prevalence (M = 21.67, SD = 17.21, n = 8). Conclusion: Most C3I programs assessed were technically inefficient relative to the most efficient center benchmark and may be improved by optimizing the use of inputs (e.g., cost-per-participant) relative to program outcomes (e.g., reach, effectiveness). This study demonstrates the appropriateness and feasibility of using DEA to evaluate the relative performance of evidence-based programs.

Facilitation of team-based care to improve HTN management and outcomes: a protocol for a randomized stepped wedge trial

Four very basic ways to think about policy in implementation science

How does facilitation in healthcare work? Using mechanism mapping to illuminate the black box of a meta-implementation strategy