Systems Approaches to Population Health

Activities Supported by NCI

Initiative on the Study and Implementation of Systems (ISIS)

• Objective to apply systems thinking approaches and methodologies to tobacco prevention and control – system dynamics modeling– network development, implementation, and analysis– knowledge management/informatics.

ISIS Products

• 18 peer-reviewed journal articles• two white papers• six technical reports• NCI Tobacco Control Monograph• 41 presentations• 11 workshops

ISIS Products

• four collaborative networks • prototype Web 2.0 collaborative online workspace• systems dynamics model of tobacco control• new measures of transdisciplinary collaboration• two network mapping projects

Greater than the Sum: Systems Thinking in Tobacco Control. NCI TC Monograph No. 18

Complex System Approaches to Population Health (May 2007)

• NIH sponsors -- NCI, OBSSR, and NICHD• University of Michigan School of Public Health• University of Michigan Center for the Study of Complex

Systems

Tobacco Modeling Workshop (May 2008) -- Objectives

• produce an inventory of the modeling work that currently exists in tobacco research

• identify what questions those models are able to answer

• explore opportunities for enhancing and improving the existing models

• explore the possibility of synergies among different modeling approaches

• identify areas in which further modeling work is needed to advance the tobacco control agenda

A Comprehensive System Dynamics Model of Tobacco Control

Concept Mapping Logic Model

OutcomeSurveillance

Policy InterventionsAdvocacy

Youth Policy& Programs

Infrastructure

Mobilization

Collaboration& TA Public Education

Media

Budget

CessationServices

MonitoringIndustry

Management Processes Programs & Services Outcomes

Systemic Change

Tobacco Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Evaluation Network (TSEEN) -- Objectives

• identify and fill important gaps in tobacco surveillance• stimulate methodological research to improve validity

and reliability of measures• improve coordination and sharing of information among

those who conduct and use the products of surveillance• Increase transdisciplinarity of the research conducted• maximize utilization of surveillance data to inform public

health practice and policy and accelerate reduction of tobacco-attributable morbidity and mortality

Tobacco Harm Reduction Network (THRN) -- Objectives

• provide expertise and advice on tobacco harm reduction to policy makers, researchers and consumers

• develop a comprehensive strategy, including priority research areas, for assessing the impact of products and methods which may reduce exposure and harm from tobacco use

• coordinate the development of data repository, process for data sharing, and guidance on analysis, synthesis, and interpretation of data

The Global Tobacco Research Network (GTRN)

• An international partnership committed to enhancing global tobacco control research by improving access to information, mentorship/training opportunities, and collaboration among organizations.

Population Sciences Grid (PopSciGrid)

• A web-based infrastructure to improve the sharing, analysis, and dissemination of cancer control and population sciences data

• First prototype workspace is for tobacco

Population Sciences Grid (PopSciGrid) – Objectives

• improve access to and usability of tobacco data from multiple sources

• encourage the greater use of multiple datasets• enable methodological studies of differences in

estimates of tobacco use behavior or in findings about the effectiveness of tobacco prevention and control interventions

• allow more sophisticated multilevel theory building, conceptualization, and analyses

• encourage tobacco research to be more collaborative and transdisciplinary

Population Sciences Grid (PopSciGrid) – Objectives

• enhance mentoring and training opportunities• increase the coordination of efforts among multiple

stakeholders• decrease the time it takes to translate research into

practice and policy• Decrease response time of public health infrastructure

to changes in local, state, and national tobacco control conditions (rapid response surveillance system)

• enable more efficient and effective resource allocation

Quantification of the Degree of Transdisciplinariness in the THRN

Strength of Interdisciplinary Ties Strength of Transdisciplinary Ties

Social Network Mapping of Tobacco Control Efforts within DHHS

DHHS Obesity Network Mapping Project

• Objective to map the nutrition, physical activity, and obesity control leadership and activities within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

• Potential items to measure relational content include:– actor recognition– contact among actors– linkages among actors

Ultimate Rationale

• Decreased funding for tobacco control programs and activities at the state level and decreased funding for research at the national level have threatened decades of progress in battling the number one public health problem in the United States. The new funding realities increase the need for strategic thinking and planning about how scarce resources can be allocated to have the greatest positive impact on public health.

Ultimate Benefit

• Strategic use of limited resources and better coordination of efforts among different stakeholders will lead to more effective interventions and improved public health outcomes. A systems framework and approach most effectively identifies and exploits linkages and synergies within the tobacco control and public health research and practice communities.

That’s All Folks, for Now…

• Thanks• Contact me at marcusst@mail.nih.gov