Large-scale evaluation efforts and their implications for the field.

Abstract

The BUILD initiative is part of the Diversity Program Consortium, which the National Institutes of Health funded to increase diversity in biomedical research. This chapter aims to identify implications for the field from the multisite evaluation of BUILD initiative programs by reviewing the work undertaken by the authors of the other chapters in this issue. Given the complexities involved in multisite evaluations, innovative approaches and methods were used to balance the needs of each site with the overall objectives of the broader initiative. These approaches included a flexible orientation to the evaluation, mixed-methods designs that prioritized understanding the context before measuring it, and innovative analytic techniques (e.g., meta-analysis) to recognize the uniqueness of each site while providing insights about their cumulative impact. The BUILD initiative evaluation also offered many other valuable lessons about engaging stakeholders, focusing on use, and responding to changing priorities over time.