Diane Finegood
Professor and Fellow, Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Simon Fraser University, Executive Director, Canadian Health Services and Policy Research Alliance
I view the world through the lens of 'systems thinking', a mental model which recognizes important differences between simple, complicated, complex and chaotic challenges. The wicked problems that tend to keep me up at night include the COVID-19 pandemic, chronic disease, and the need to add more learning to our health system. I am also passionate about changing our approach to a pedagogy which embraces dialogue, experiential learning and community engagement.
Media
COVID-19: It's more complicated than you think
Episode 4 of the Well With The World series.
Diane Finegood at the Public Salon
Short public talk about systems thinking.
Systems Thinking
Talk given to researcher in the UK interested in a systems approach to prevention research.
The Australian Prevention Partnership CentreRadio/Podcast
Why complex is not the same as complicated and why that matters for how we approach wicked problems.
Is It OK To Meet With Friends While Social Distancing?
Announcing the launch of SFU CAN: COVID-19 Action Now
Health System Transformation
Reboot Communications (May 2016)Online
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x0Ed3PyuE8
Interview in advance of the 16th Annual Healthcare Summit.
Expert's Corner, Healthcare Q & A
Reboot Communications (May 2015)Online
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRwNSeTso34
Interview in advance of the 15th Annual Healthcare Summit.
Challenges of obesity for individuals and society
Canadian Obesity Network (May 2009)Online
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGoitMcxmZ8
Interview on the personal and professional challenges of dealing with obesity.
The global obesity pandemic: shaped by global drivers and local environments.
Published by Lancet 378: 804-14, 2011.
This collaborative effort to bring focus to the obesity pandemic is part of a series of papers in The Lancet. This paper has been cited more than 700 times and has an Altimetric score in the top 5%.
URL: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(11)60813-1/abstract
Systems Science and Obesity Policy: A Novel Framework for Analyzing and Rethinking Population-Level Planning.
Published by American Journal of Public Health 104(7): 1270-8, 2014.
This paper arises out of our research program applying systems thinking to the complexity of obesity and behavior change.
URL: http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.2014.301884
Knowledge to action for solving complex problems: insights from a review of nine international cases.
Published by Health Promot Chronic Dis Prev Can 35(3): 47-53, 2015.
This examination of nine international organizational experiences with bringing knowledge to action uses a systems lens to understand best practices.
URL: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/hpcdp-pspmc/35-3/assets/pdf/ar-01-eng.pdf
Grand Challenges in Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases: The top 20 policy and research priorities for conditions such as diabetes, stroke and heart disease.
Published by Nature 450: 494-496, 2007.
This collaboration brings attention to the global challenges of chronic disease prevention. Almetric score in the top 5%
URL: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v450/n7169/full/450494a.html
Cross-Sector Partnerships and Public Health: Challenges and Opportunities for Addressing Obesity and Noncommunicable Diseases Through Engagement with the Private Sector.
Published by Annual Reviews of Public Health, 36: 255-271, 2015.
Invited review article reflects our work in the area of public-private partnerships and their application to public health issues like obesity and chronic disease prevention. This is a contentious issue in the policy domain and we address both the challenges and the opportunities.
Biography
Dr. Diane T. Finegood is an experienced research leader and strategic visionary with an exceptional track record of heading provincial and national leading-edge health research organizations. She served as President & CEO of the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (2012-2016) and inaugural scientific director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes (2000-2008). As a bridge-builder and systems thinker, She has successfully facilitated the needs of disparate stakeholders to carve out common ground for effective collaboration and impact. Finegood is also an internationally recognized researcher whose work and expertise range from cell biology, physiology, and mathematical modeling to population and public health, health policy and knowledge translation.
Recognition/Reconnaissance
YWCA Women of Distinction | Professional
Presented by the Vancouver YWCA in recognition of leadership in Science, Research and Medicine (2002).
Top 100 Women: Trailblazers and Trendsetters | Professional
Presented by the Women's Executive Network (2006).
Inaugural Distinguished Lecturer Award | Professional
Presented by the Canadian Obesity Network, for outstanding contributions to the obesity research community in Canada (2009).
Frederick G. Banting Award | Professional
Presented by the Canadian Diabetes Association, for significant contributions through leadership in the diabetes community in Canada (2008).
E.W. Crampton Award | Professional
Presented by the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, in conjunction with McGill Nutrition and Food Science Centre, in recognition of distinguished service in fields dealing with nutrition and food (2011).
Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences | Professional
For recognition of national and international contributions to the promotion of health science. Fellows will have demonstrated leadership, creativity, distinctive competencies and a commitment to advance academic health science (2007).
Past Talks
Thoughts on the Role of Science in Public Policy
Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) Luncheon - Science, Technology and Public Policy
Vancouver, BC (March 2015)
The food industry: Friend or foe?
Australian Prevention Partnership Centre (APPC) Investigators' Forum
Sydney, Australia (March 2015)
Shifting the paradigm in chronic disease prevention from attribution to adaptation: What data do we need?
The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre
Sydney, Australia (March 2015)
Innovation - Accelerating uptake
International Initiative for Mental health Leadership
Vancouver, BC (September 2015)
Complex is not the same as complicated
Global Civic Policy Society's Public Salon
Vancouver, BC (October 2016)
A Systems Approach to Implementation of Evidence
Global Implementation Conference
Toronto, Ontario (June 2017)
Research Grants
The CAPTURE Project (CAnadian Platform To increase Usage of Real world Evidence)
Organization: Canadian Partnership Against CancerGrant amount: $3,000,000 (2009-2012)
Details:
Unique 3 year knowledge translation project focused on the vision of having effective primary prevention in Canada because we learn from what we do. Engaged more than 500 chronic disease prevention informants, including public health practitioners, evaluators, public health decision makers, and public health and intervention researchers in consultations using multiple methods including concept mapping, expert panels, stakeholder workshops, key informant interviews, focus groups, web surveys and usability testing. Built a web-based platform to support organizations and individuals in program and evaluation planning, reporting on progress, sharing and reflecting on the results of interventions, and connecting with others who are working with similar populations or interventions. Identified multiple needs and opportunities in building systems to support real-world learning for improvement.
More information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mal-lA-_wjk
Scale-up and Spread of MEND Programs in Canada
Organization: Canadian Institutes of Health ResearchGrant amount: $200,000 (2011 to present)
Details:
MEND (Mind Exercise Nutrition Do-It!) is a scaleable childhood obesity treatment program imported from the UK to Canada. This project is studying the scale-up and spread of MEND into three provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia).
Beta-Cell Apoptosis and Autoimmunity Network
Organization: Juvenile Diabetes Research FoundationGrant amount: $1.2 million (2004-2008)
Details:
This program project grant followed from a previous grant from JDRF and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (for $2.7 million) to explore triggers and mechanisms of autoimmunity in type 1 diabetes.