Our Publications -
Systems Thinking Training
Systems thinking for noncommunicable disease prevention policy
World Health Orgnization, 2022
The Manual on systems thinking for NCD prevention policy provides guidance on bringing a systems approach into practice and important insights to support using systems thinking in health issues such as NCD prevention. The Manual has specific examples of systems thinking approaches in practice, and information on important next steps for the use of systems thinking approaches in NCD prevention policy.
Read the manual here.
Lead author: Chloe Clifford Astbury – Corresponding author: Tarra Penney
Fact sheet: Systems thinking for noncommunicable disease prevention policy
World Health Organization, 2022
This factsheet aims to provide an overview of the Manual (Systems thinking for noncommunicable disease prevention policy) by introducing key concepts in systems thinking and examples of its approaches utilized in NCD prevention policy.
Read the fact sheet here.
Reviewers: Chloe Clifford Astbury Tarra Penney
Systems Thinking and Complexity Science Methods and the Policy Process in Non-communicable Disease Prevention: A Systematic Scoping Review
International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 2023
Given the complex determinants of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and the dynamic policy landscape, researchers and policymakers are exploring the use of systems thinking and complexity science (STCS) in developing effective policies. The aim of this review is to systematically identify and analyse existing applications of STCS-informed methods in NCD prevention policy. STCS methods have the potential to generate tailored and dynamic evidence, adding robustness to evidence-informed policymaking, but must be accessible to policy stakeholders and have strong stakeholder ownership to build consensus and change stakeholder perspectives.
Read the paper here.
Lead author: Chloe Clifford Astbury – Corresponding author: Tarra Penney
Systems thinking and complexity science methods and the policy process in non-communicable disease prevention: a systematic scoping review protocol
Health Policy, 2021
Given the complex causal origins of many non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and the complex landscapes in which policies designed to tackle them are made and unfold, the need for systems thinking and complexity science (STCS) in developing effective policy solutions has been emphasised. While numerous methods informed by STCS have been applied to the policy process in NCD prevention, these applications have not been systematically catalogued. The aim of this scoping review is to identify existing applications of methods informed by STCS to the policy process for NCD prevention, documenting which domains of the policy process they have been applied to.
Read the protocol here.
Lead author: Chloe Clifford Astbury – Corresponding author: Tarra Penney
Systems Thinking and Evidence-Based Global Health Policy: Challenges and Opportunities for Global Health Research
Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research, 2024
Food insecurity, the emergence of zoonoses, anti-microbial resistance, and the related consequences of climate change are all major global health challenges, many with common drivers. Global health policy is an essential instrument for our collective efforts to reorient systems and address the underlying causes of these shared global health challenges. As global health researchers we want to ensure policy is informed by robust empirical evidence, but also that our approach has relevance and legitimacy – motivating us to think differently about how we do global health research. By drawing on experience conducting systems focused collaborative research, this seminar reflects on how the use of systems methods and approaches may enable us ask and answer questions that inform system change.
Read more about the seminar here and watch the recording here.
Presenter: Tarra Penney