Concepts

We are developing a systematic scientific approach to complex health challenges. Instead of zooming in and trying to isolate single risk factors — as other researchers have done for years — we are zooming out to understand complex health problems in their context by understanding their patterns, their interconnected mechanisms, and their dynamic changes over time.

Key publications:

Russo F, Broadbent A, Castellani B, Fustolo-Gunnick S, Rod NH, Rod MH, Moore S, Rutter H, Stronks K, Uleman J (2025). "A pluralistic (mosaic) approach to causality in health complexity". In: P Illari and F Russo (eds.). The Routledge Handbook of Causality and Causal Methods. Routledge: New York NY. Link
Rod NH, Kreshpaj B, Stronks K (2024). "A complex systems lens can help us understand drivers of emerging challenges in work and health". Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health 50(6): 389–393. Link
Stronks K, Crielaard L, Rod NH (2024). "Systems approaches to health research and prevention". In: W Ahrens and I Pigeot (eds.). Handbook of Epidemiology. Springer: New York, NY. Link
Rod NH, Broadbent A, Rod MH, Russo F, Arah OA, Stronks K (2023). "Complexity in epidemiology and public health. Addressing complex health problems through a mix of epidemiologic methods and data". Epidemiology 34(4): 505–514. Link
Rod MH, Rod NH, Russo F, Klinker CD, Reis R, Stronks K (2023). "Promoting the health of vulnerable populations: Three steps towards a systems-based re-orientation of public-health intervention research". Health & Place 80: 102984. Link