Tag: systems thinking

Policy Enactment and Implementation in the Policy Process and How Systems Thinking Fits In

Course Objective

Describe the steps and strategies needed to enact and implement a policy, program or service
Identify the kinds of individuals and organizations who can contribute to the enactment and implementation of policies, programs, and services
Explain the importance of monitoring the implementation of policies, programs, and services
Understand how applying habits of systems thinking can improve the enactment and implementation processes

More Information ▾

Date: June 30th, 2022

Subject Matter Experts:
Sylvia Pirani, MPH, MS
Public Health Practice Consultant
&
Helen de Pinho, MBBCh, FCCH (Public Health), MBA,
Assistant Professor at Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health,
Associate Director of the Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program (AMDD) at Columbia University

The Strategic Skills Training Series developed by the Region 2 PHTC aims to help prepare public health leaders and the public health workforce to develop the practices and competencies associated with being a Chief Health Strategist. Using a scenario focused on the opioid problem in the fictitious ‘Tycho County’, this course will describe how the ‘Policy Enactment and Policy Implementation’ stages of the CDC policy process can be implemented by a health department using systems thinking tools and approaches.

Learners will be able to:

Describe the steps and strategies needed to enact and implement a policy, program or service
Identify the kinds of individuals and organizations who can contribute to the enactment and implementation of policies, programs, and services
Explain the importance of monitoring the implementation of policies, programs, and services
Understand how applying habits of systems thinking can improve the enactment and implementation processes

Connecting the Dots With Systemic Thinking for Equitable and Healthiest Communities

Course Objective

Define key concepts, including: systems, systemic thinking, equity, social justice, and complexity.
Explain how systemic thinking links to existing frameworks for equitable and healthier communities.
Demonstrate use of two tools for exploring deep leverage points.

Begin Module

For NYS Employee

More Information ▾

Date: January 11th, 2022

Presenter:
Priti Irani, MSPH
Research Scientist
Office of Public Health Practice, New York State Department of Health

In this month’s Log-in2Learn, Priti Irani, MSPH connects system thinking to the revised 10 Essential Public Health Services, which put health equity at the center. She begins by introducing the New York State Prevention Agenda, and defining key concepts of justice, systemic thinking, and targeted universalism. She then illustrates a concrete application of systems thinking by going through the example of food insecurity in New York State as a complex problem. She demonstrates how to use the iceberg model to look for hidden structures and mental models, as well as a causal loop diagram to find deep leverage points that guide interventions for greater impact. Finally, she shares additional online resources to continue the learning and application of systems thinking, and answer questions from live webinar participants, including incorporating paradigm shifts into different jobs.

Participants will be able to:

Define key concepts, including: systems, systemic thinking, equity, social justice, and complexity.
Explain how systemic thinking links to existing frameworks for equitable and healthier communities.
Demonstrate use of two tools for exploring deep leverage points.

Policy Analysis in the Policy Process and How Systems Thinking Fits In

Course Objective

Define Stage Two of the CDC policy process i.e. Policy Analysis
List types of evidence that can be reviewed as part of the policy analysis phase
Assess feasibility of available policy options via framing questions and rubrics
Identify and define key variables in a complex public health issue
Sketch and interpret a simple systems map/ causal loop diagram
Define and identify leverage points in a system and assess their potential impact on the system
Discuss the importance of systems modeling and explore how systems models can be used to ask and answer policy-relevant questions

Begin Module

For NYS Employee

More Information ▾

Date: June 30th 2021

Subject Matter Experts:
Helen de Pinho, MBBCh, FCCH (Public Health), MBA
Assistant Professor at Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, and Associate Director of the Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program (AMDD) at Columbia University

Sylvia Pirani, MPH, MS
Public Health Practice Consultant

Using a scenario focused on the opioid problem in the fictitious ‘Tycho County’, this course will describe how the ‘Policy Analysis’ stage of the CDC policy process can be implemented by a health department using systems thinking tools and approaches.

Recommended Pre-Requisites:

Participants will be able to:

Define Stage Two of the CDC policy process i.e. Policy Analysis
List types of evidence that can be reviewed as part of the policy analysis phase
Assess feasibility of available policy options via framing questions and rubrics
Identify and define key variables in a complex public health issue
Sketch and interpret a simple systems map/ causal loop diagram
Define and identify leverage points in a system and assess their potential impact on the system
Discuss the importance of systems modeling and explore how systems models can be used to ask and answer policy-relevant questions

Strategy and Policy Development in the Policy Process and How Systems Thinking Fits In

Course Objective

Define Stage Three of the CDC policy process i.e. Strategy and Policy Development
Describe the steps that Health Departments can follow to develop an enactment strategy and draft an actual policy
Understand how systems thinking tools can help strengthen the strategy and policy development process

Begin Module

For NYS Employee

More Information ▾

Date: June 30th 2021

Subject Matter Experts:
Sylvia Pirani, MPH, MS
Public Health Practice Consultant

Helen de Pinho, MBBCh, FCCH (Public Health), MBA
Assistant Professor at Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, and Associate Director of the Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program (AMDD) at Columbia University

Using a scenario focused on the opioid problem in the fictitious ‘Tycho County’, this course will describe how the ‘Strategy and Policy Development’ stage of the CDC policy process can be implemented by a health department using systems thinking tools and approaches.

Recommended Pre-Requisites:

Participants will be able to:

Define Stage Three of the CDC policy process i.e. Strategy and Policy Development
Describe the steps that Health Departments can follow to develop an enactment strategy and draft an actual policy
Understand how systems thinking tools can help strengthen the strategy and policy development process

Policy Making and Systems Thinking: tools to help the public health workforce address challenging times

Course Objective

Define policy making in public health and how it can be used to achieve public health goals
Identify how systems thinking can strengthen public health policy development
Discuss how some of the essential steps in policy making and systems thinking can help address “wicked” public health challenges

Begin Module

For NYS Employee

More Information ▾

Date: January 12th, 2021

Presenter:
Sylvia Pirani, MPH, MS
Public Health Practice Consultant

Helen de Pinho, MBBCh, FCCH, MBA
Assistant Professor
Population and Family Health
Columbia University Medical Center

In this month’s Log-in2Learn, Helen de Pinho, MBBCh, FCCH, MBA, and Sylvia Pirani, MPH, MS, walk us through the process of policy making and the role of systems thinking in combating complex challenges. Sylvia starts by highlighting the steps required to craft good policy and emphasizes the importance of incorporating community members and stakeholders in the process. She then identifies some of the common obstacles seen during this process and shares instances of the same. Helen goes on to unpack the concept of systems thinking, explaining how it can be used and why it is such an essential tool for policy makers and the public health workforce. She demonstrates the ways in which systems thinking can be used to address complex situations and tricky relationships in the policy making process through a series of examples. Finally, they both identify the next steps in policy making and share useful resources for policy identification and systems thinking during challenging times.

Participants will be able to:

Define policy making in public health and how it can be used to achieve public health goals
Identify how systems thinking can strengthen public health policy development
Discuss how some of the essential steps in policy making and systems thinking can help address “wicked” public health challenges

Reducing Obesity and Diet-Related Diseases by Limiting Predatory Marketing of Unhealthy Food

Course Objective

Learning Objectives for Part I: Understanding Predatory Marketing

Define targeted and predatory marketing.
Distinguish between different types of predatory marketing, with examples.
Describe digital media avenues used for predatory marketing.
Explain how targeted marketing of unhealthy food leads to negative health outcomes, particularly for certain populations.

Learning Objectives for Part II: What Health Departments Can Do to Combat Predatory Marketing

Describe ways to increase awareness of predatory marketing in communities.
Describe how local, state and federal governments can regulate predatory marketing.
List at least 2 actionable strategies for communities to decrease predatory marketing practices.
List 3 policy measures that could be taken to limit predatory marketing of unhealthy food at the city/local, state OR national level.

Begin Module

For NYS Employee

More Information ▾

Launch Date: June 30th, 2020

Presenter:
Nicholas Freudenberg, DrPH, MPH
Distinguished Professor of Public Health, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy
Director, CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute

Unhealthy food is the leading cause of premature death and preventable illness around the world today. Predatory marketing makes a significant contribution to this burden. Public health professionals can play an important role in reducing the prevalence and exposure to predatory marketing. This two-part training module develops an understanding of the current landscape of predatory marketing of unhealthy food and beverages, and how it promotes negative health outcomes particularly for vulnerable populations. This program will define the role of health departments in addressing predatory marketing, outline ways health departments can help document predatory marketing in their communities, and provide recommendations and examples of policy engagement activities public health professionals can get involved in.

Learning Objectives for Part I: Understanding Predatory Marketing

Define targeted and predatory marketing.
Distinguish between different types of predatory marketing, with examples.
Describe digital media avenues used for predatory marketing.
Explain how targeted marketing of unhealthy food leads to negative health outcomes, particularly for certain populations.

Learning Objectives for Part II: What Health Departments Can Do to Combat Predatory Marketing

Describe ways to increase awareness of predatory marketing in communities.
Describe how local, state and federal governments can regulate predatory marketing.
List at least 2 actionable strategies for communities to decrease predatory marketing practices.
List 3 policy measures that could be taken to limit predatory marketing of unhealthy food at the city/local, state OR national level.

An Overview of the Policy Process in Public Health and the Need for Systems Thinking

Course Objective

Explain the role of policy engagement in public health
Describe how policy is understood in a Public Health 3.0 context
Define the role of a public health agency in policy making
List ways that systems thinking concepts and tools can strengthen the policy process

Begin Module

For NYS Employee

More Information ▾

Launch Date: June 30th, 2020

Presenter:
Sylvia Pirani, MPH, MS
Public Health Practice Consultant

Engaging in policy making is an essential activity of public health agencies and staff to achieve the goals of Public Health 3.0 and to work collaboratively to address the social determinants of health. This training provides an overview of the policy making process as defined by the Centers for Disease Control, draws on the COVID-19 and other complex public health problems to discuss the challenges commonly faced by public health agencies during this policy process, and makes the case for using a systems thinking approach to overcome these policy roadblocks and address unintended consequences.

Participants will learn about the following:

Explain the role of policy engagement in public health
Describe how policy is understood in a Public Health 3.0 context
Define the role of a public health agency in policy making
List ways that systems thinking concepts and tools can strengthen the policy process

Problem Identification in the Policy Process and How Systems Thinking Fits In

Course Objective

Explain Stage One of the policy making process i.e. Problem Identification
Describe how Systems Thinking tools and approaches can help visualize a problem
Describe how Systems Thinking tools and approaches can help define the boundaries of a problem

Begin Module

For NYS Employee

More Information ▾

Launch Date: June 30th, 2020

Subject Matter Expert:
Helen de Pinho, MBBCh, FCCH (Public Health), MBA
Assistant Professor at Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health,
Associate Director of the Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program (AMDD) at Columbia University

This training describes how to implement the first stage of the CDC policy process – Problem Identification. Using a scenario focused on the opioid problem in fictitious Tycho County, the course discusses the practical steps that a health department, working in collaboration with key stakeholders, can take to describe and understand this complex problem. The course also explores how the application of systems thinking tools and approaches to make boundary decisions and visualize the problem using behavior over time graphs and rich pictures, can strengthen this stage of the policy making process.

Participants will learn about the following:

Explain Stage One of the policy making process i.e. Problem Identification
Describe how Systems Thinking tools and approaches can help visualize a problem
Describe how Systems Thinking tools and approaches can help define the boundaries of a problem

Systems Thinking: Habits for Addressing Public Health Challenges

Course Objective

Recognize the events, patterns, and structures relating to complex public health challenges
Explain how mental models impact the way we perceive, and intervene in, public health problems
Identify ways to incorporate systems thinking habits in your everyday practice

Begin Module

For NYS Employees

More Information ▾

Date: November 12, 2019

Presenter:
Helen de Pinho,MBBCh, FCCH, MBA
Assistant Professor
Population and Family Health at the Columbia University

In this month’s Log-in2Learn webinar, you will learn how to integrate systems thinking concepts into your work to address public health issues from Dr. Helen De Pinho. The webinar further delves into various systems thinking habits to develop in public health practice. Helen explains that systems thinking is not about looking at events in isolation, but rather considers underlying patterns, events and structures. The webinar provides a look into decoding the complexity of public health problems and tool to avoiding linear thinking. Based on a fictitious case study, you will learn how to apply concrete systems thinking approaches in daily public health practice, taking into consideration your own mental models and the mental models that may be embedded in organizations where you work.

Participants will learn how to:

Recognize the events, patterns, and structures relating to complex public health challenges
Explain how mental models impact the way we perceive, and intervene in, public health problems
Identify ways to incorporate systems thinking habits in your everyday practice

A Systems Approach to Understanding Childhood Obesity

Course Objective

By the end of this module, you should know how to:

Describe public health as part of a larger inter-related system of organizations that influence the health of populations at local, national, and global levels.
Describe different stakeholders with the power to address childhood obesity.
Explain how local health departments (LHDs) can use systems thinking approaches while planning intersectoral initiatives to reduce inequities in childhood obesity.

…and see how you can incorporate these concepts in your practice to address a major public health crisis.

Begin Module

For NYS Employee

More Information ▾

This module developed by the Region 2 Public Health Training Center (PHTC) aims to explore how to use problem solving approaches inspired by systems thinking to reduce inequities in childhood obesity.* Systems thinking is a methodological approach that helps us better understand how complex systems operate, and how we can identify leverage points within systems to influence behavior. Since this is a foundational module, our goal is just to introduce how a systems thinking lens can be applied to a major public health issue.

In this module, you will learn how to identify the characteristics of a system in a public health context.

*To learn more about systems thinking, please enroll in the course ‘Introduction to Systems Thinking’, part of the Strategic Skills training series also offered by the Region 2 Public Health Training Center.