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.
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 Innovations: US Military Enterprise Analysis
The Collaborative has partnered with the MIT Lean Advancement Initiative 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.
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.
