Dr Karla Lopez

Senior Advisor, CEI

Karla is an experienced Forensic Psychologist with a specific interest in the implementation of evidence-based practice in all facets of community safety and wellbeing initiatives. For over 20 years, primarily in the public service, she has held strategic, therapeutic, program development and risk management roles pertaining to a range of complex client groups coming into contact with the criminal justice system. She has a strong track record of research, service co-design and implementation evidenced by her extensive work with police over the last decade to enhance police risk assessment practice in the areas of offender monitoring, crime prevention and covert policing. She is an experienced and dynamic trainer and workshop designer committed to supporting practitioners to use research evidence in practice through mentoring and coaching.

In her role as Senior Advisor with CEI, Karla is responsible for leading a diverse portfolio of program development, implementation and evaluation projects focused on enhancing practice and improving outcomes for vulnerable and high-risk cohorts. She holds a Doctorate in Forensic Psychology from the University of Melbourne and a Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Honours) from La Trobe University.

Concurrent Session Two – Policing Partners: Implementing the evidence base: why the ‘how’ really matters in policing.

Evidence-based practice and the science of implementation are natural allies. The efforts of practitioners and academics to generate evidence and influence practice are far less likely to be impactful without structured implementation activity. In other words, for the evidence-base to generate outcomes and tangible improvements to the lives of those we serve, in policing, human services or even health, a deliberate and structured approach to implementation is warranted. This paper explores implementation science evidence and key principles, in other words the ‘how’ of embedding evidence-based practice in policing.