Systems thinking and public health: an introduction

Wednesday 19th October 2022
With Public Health Network Cymru

This webinar presented by Jenneth Parker from The Schumacher Institute provided an accessible introduction to systems approaches and how they can help us navigate our complex world – with particular emphasis on application to public health systems and how they both sit within, and influence, wider social and biophysical systems.

Learning Outcomes:

• Gain a basic understanding of the varieties of systems thinking and their uses
• Gain an overview of potentials of system thinking as applied to public health in Wales with reference to the Wellbeing frameworks and sustainability
• Begin to consider ways to include systems thinking in participants’ work

There are many reasons why everyone can readily engage with systems thinking. Jenneth Parker from the Schumacher Institute discussed the systems learning we have gained from the COVID-19 pandemic, together with some exploratory diagrams that show systems thinking at work.  Jenneth provided an introduction to some of the different types of systems thinking. This included discussion of the ways in which system thinking and approaches can help us in dealing with interdisciplinarity in the contexts of research and practice. This led into a wider discussion about the potentials of systems tools and approaches in helping navigate, and make informed interventions in, public health systems.