Design employs the language of problem solving and features a great deal of tools that encourage participation in solution generation, yet what problems get solved and what solutions are generated for whom are, too often, left untouched.
Design and Social Justice Read More »
Although social media is all around us, there is a tendency to forget that it is still new and, in the case of public health, very new. What would / did our health communications system look like if it was designed for pamphlets instead of apps, door-to-door visits instead of Facebook, and libraries instead of websites? It might look a lot like today.
Health Communication in the Age of Pamphlets Read More »
I teach a class in systems thinking perspectives on public health. This past week we discussed the role of narratives and storytelling as ways to learn about systems and how to organize diverse information and make sense of that. All stories are fiction, but for systems thinkers, some stories are useful.
Storytelling, Sense-making, and Systems Thinking Read More »
New Year’s resolutions are problems because they often set us up for failure. Perhaps the one resolution that you will want to follow this year is to skip the resolution altogether and commit to doing something small often and enjoying yourself and those around you while you do it.
New Year’s Resolutions: If You Must… Read More »
Tackling HIV/AIDS has been made easier and more successful not by individual change, but by a social movement. A similar movement is needed for mental health and taking a systems approach to it is one way to get the ball rolling.
Change as a Social Movement: Lessons for Mental Health? Read More »
Public health professionals know that stress kills, yet it may be killing us. Are we modeling good behaviour for the public or simply serving as an example of what not to do?
Is Public Health Modeling Good Behaviour? Read More »
Mobile technologies are making huge in-roads in advancing health promotion. Some examples are provided and speculation of whether we are at the dawn of a Web 3.0 era.
Mobile Health Promotion and Web 3.0 Read More »
Finding our way in a complex system is tricky. Social network maps can provide a way forward, but only if viewed as tools for complicated problems and not as true wayfinding solutions for complex ones.
Wayfinding in Complex Systems Read More »
Thinking is a worthwhile term connected to ‘systems’ and ‘design’. New ways of visioning the systems we live in and how they are designed requires new ways of thinking and while it seemed funny at first, the use of the term ‘thinking’ seems more appropriate than ever to fit to both design and systems.
Thinking: Why the Word Matters to Systems and Design Read More »
How to make sense of information in a complex learning environment and why is it important? If we think about climate change, pandemic flu and other serious issues, we may come to the conclusion that this is among the most important topics we can devote time to.
Complexity and the Information Landscape Read More »
