Thursday, August 08, 2024
![](https://ciswh.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/free-photo-of-colorful-houses-in-bryggen-in-bergen-city-in-norway.jpeg)
Photo courtesy of Ehsan Haque
Dr. Tami Gouveia, CISWH director, recently spoke at the International System Dynamics Conference (ISDC) in Bergen, Norway. The conference theme, “Bridging Perspectives for New Insights” focused on the need for collaboration among diverse disciplines for deeper understanding and stronger problem solving.
Gouveia joined Rebecca D. Niles, executive director of the System Dynamics Society and principal of Iceberg Partners; and Braveheart Gillani, PhD candidate in Social Welfare at Case Western Reserve University, in describing how the FASTBreak participatory mapping process helped CISWH staff and faculty develop the center’s theory of change and strategy portfolio. With coaching from Niles and Gillani, the CISWH team created behavior charts and causal maps to develop a new theory of change: supercharge innovation in social work research, training, and practice to build collective power and influence on the political agenda for health equity globally. This new theory of change will inform the center’s revised strategic plan, which will build out domestic, global, and policy portfolios to drive outcomes.
Dr. Gouveia and CISWH fellow Jennica Allen (DrPH’27) also led a roundtable discussion titled “Communicating Effectively with Policymakers for Greater Influence.” The session explored challenges that drive regulatory and legislative decision-making, including short-term narrow thinking and a lack of multi-disciplinary collaboration. As a former Massachusetts state legislator, Dr. Gouveia shared best practices for communicating with elected officials, and how to shift from siloed to dynamic systems thinking in policy conversations.