Monday | 15-April-2019 | 11:30-14:00 | Eduardo Mondlane Conference Center | Maputo, Mozambique
David W. Lounsbury, PhD | Workshop Facilitator | Albert Einstein College of Medicine | New York USA
This workshop introduces system dynamics modeling (SDM), a robust systems science methodology still under-used in social and behavioral research, to epidemiologists, public health practitioners, nurses and physicians. Systems science adds value to more traditional health research by contributing to the design and testing of complex integrated models of change, to improve health system performance, patient outcomes, and population health. Best practices in SDM design and validation call for the application of a multi-stepped, iterative procedure that engages multiple stakeholders in deliberative problem identification, system conceptualization, model formulation, model simulation, and model evaluation.
Workshop activities involve hands-on skill building exercises. All participants are encouraged to bring a personal laptop computer to the workshop, pre-installed with a free 20-day trial copy of Stella Architect® system dynamics modeling software. See instructions for downloading and installing your copy at https://github.com/dlounsbu/AfEA-sdm/tree/master/trial_stella_architect_software.
Learning objectives include:
- Understanding systems theory and the potential utility of SDM for research and action in epidemiology
- Applying basic concepts of systems thinking: Drawing ‘balancing’ and ‘reinforcing’ loops
- Creating, running and evaluating simple system dynamics models.
By the end of the workshop, participants will appreciate how system dynamics modeling is a novel, ‘mixed methods’ research methodology well-suited to understanding and addressing diverse, complex problems in epidemiology, public health, and medicine.