Introduction to the Systems Change Process

Schedule and Registration

Registration for this workshop has reached capacity. 

This virtual workshop is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 20 and Thursday June 22. Participants should plan to attend both days. Registered participants will receive a Zoom link close to the scheduled dates.

Who Should Attend

This workshop is open to local public health department staff in North Carolina.

The Systems Change for Health curriculum is designed to benefit ANY governmental staff who promote, evaluate or manage policy/systems change in support of health as part of their work, or those who are interested in learning more about how to address policy/systems change where communities live, learn, earn, play and pray.

Participants do not need systems or policy experience prior to attending.

About the Workshop

The Systems Change for Health ^TM curriculum was developed by UNC Healthy Solutions with the recognition that health problems are influenced by systems, policies and environments that either sustain healthy behaviors or fail to support them. Many chronic public health problems will not be solved solely by individual actions, but by coming together to forge a society where healthy choices are easy and popular.

The curriculum uses a transdisciplinary approach, incorporating theories, methods, tools and case evidence from public health, public policy, public administration and urban planning to teach the concepts of effective systems and policy change. It has been taught at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and throughout the country within state and local health departments.

This introductory workshop orients participants to the systems change process, including how a state or local coalition might influence the development and implementation of policies, procedures and built environments. Through interactive exercises, lecture and group discussion, participants become familiar with five topics:

• Defining social/health problems.
• Analyzing potential solutions.
• Influencing the change process.
• Implementing enacted changes.
• Evaluating system changes.

The workshop is a gateway to the five Systems Change for Health skills-based courses, which provide instruction in cross-cutting skills, such as: issue framing, policy analysis, policy formulation, message tailoring, and policy and media advocacy. The goal of the entire curriculum is for the participants from the public health workforce to develop two of the Foundational Capabilities: Organizational Competencies, and Policy Development and Support, as well as enhance their policy-related Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals and Public Health Strategic Skills focused on systems and strategic thinking.

About the Instructors

James Emery, MPH, is a research associate and Carolyn Crump, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Health Behavior at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. They collaborate as part of a service-oriented team, UNC Healthy Solutions, that uses evidence-based solutions to help government agencies, non-profit partners, and community-based organizations transform communities to achieve equitable health and social outcomes.

Sponsors and Participant Fee

This workshop is supported through a contract to the North Carolina Institute for Public Health from the North Carolina Division of Public Health as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Public Health Workforce Development Initiative investment in North Carolina’s public health workforce. Participants will not be charged a registration fee.