Projects
Clinical Trials Process
This project will utilize systems thinking and design principles to identify and map the current clinical trial process, identify breakdowns in the process and develop strategies to address those breakdowns. By taking a broad view of the system our goal is to identify areas that have not been addressed which will have a major impact on the system as a whole.
Albright Challenge
The Mission of the Albright Challenge is to stimulate inventive, collaborative solutions to today’s major societal issues while informing a new generation of leaders AND to reinforce the critical need for and value of prevention in all areas of societal concern.
New Models
Recognizing that healthcare was reaching a crisis point, in 2005 the Collaborative held the first of a series of New Models meetings. Bringing together some of the best minds from a number of fields including medicine, academia, government and business, the Collaborative challenged the group to consider new ways of tackling the problem.
Post-Traumatic Stress Innovation: US Military Health Enterprise Analysis
The Collaborative partnered with the MIT Sociotechnical Systems Research Center to perform a complex systems analysis of the military infrastructure devoted to PTSD and related concerns. Keeping the warrior at the center of the analysis, the issue will be approached from both a bottom-up and top-down perspective.
National Integrated Regional Food System: A New Model for Health (NIRF)
Currently in development, NIRF takes the findings from the Childhood Obesity project and puts them into action. Namely, that in order to support programs addressing childhood obesity and chronic disease prevention, there must be a national food system based on access, affordability, and quality.
Childhood Obesity
Dramatic increases in early onset of adult medical conditions associated with childhood obesity and the need to contain healthcare costs have placed obesity at the center of industry, public health, political, and medical debate. Utilizing their unique design approach, the Collaborative partnered with Columbia University and the United Health Foundation to take a broad system-based look at obesity.
Stroke Pathways
The first major project of the Collaborative, Stroke Pathways tested the potential of applying a design systems approach to social issues by tackling a "slice" of the larger healthcare crisis. The Collaborative, with the Harvard Graduate School of Design, took a lifecycle approach to assessing stroke care and determined that there is a significant opportunity to lower costs while improving outcomes.
Other Projects
Through its work, the Collaborative has developed partnerships with organizations that share its vision of applying systems thinking across a broad spectrum of issues, and has brought these like-minded groups together to foster collaboration.