This course provides an introduction to systems thinking and systems models in public health. Problems in public health and health policy tend to be complex with many actors, institutions and risk factors involved. If an outcome depends on many interacting and adaptive parts and actors the outcome cannot be analyzed or predicted with traditional statistical methods. Systems thinking is a core skill in public health and helps health policymakers build programs and policies that are aware of and prepared for unintended consequences.
About this Course
Learner Career Outcomes
28%
19%
Learner Career Outcomes
28%
19%
Offered by

Johns Hopkins University
The mission of The Johns Hopkins University is to educate its students and cultivate their capacity for life-long learning, to foster independent and original research, and to bring the benefits of discovery to the world.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Introduction to Systems Thinking and Complex Adaptive Systems
This module introduces the basics of systems thinking and the rationale for using a systems approach to solve public health problems in complex adaptive systems.
System Conceptualization Using Causal Loop Diagrams
This module will introduce you to the concepts of causal loop diagrams and how they can be used in participatory research. You will also be introduced to the software Vensim that allows you to draw causal loop diagrams.
System Dynamics Simulation Using Stock-and-Flow Diagrams
This module will introduce you to the concepts of systems dynamics modeling and will show you how to use Vensim to run a pre-existing system dynamics model.
Practical and policy implications
This Module wraps up the course and shows you how systems thinking can contribute to policy making.
Reviews
TOP REVIEWS FROM SYSTEMS THINKING IN PUBLIC HEALTH
I was hoping to get a perspective on the origin and theories of systems thinking, however the course does not focus on that. The course is a practical tool to apply systems thinking in one's work.
This is an excellent-excellent course and provides a good primer even to somebody (like me) who has only a very limited exposure to public health and none to the concepts of systems thinking.
The course is one of the best that I've attended on Coursera. This will be highly useful in my current course "Healthcare Operations Management" that I am offering for MBA students in India.
It should probably have 2 more weeks of detail. The questions should be less about trying to trick the person with convoluted wording, and more about solving actual problems using models.
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