- Platform
- edX
- Provider
- University of the Witwatersrand
- Effort
- 2-4 hours a week
- Length
- 6 weeks
- Language
- English
- Credentials
- Paid Certificate Available
- Course Link
Overview
Effective and meaningful engagement with complex modern medical systems requires an overarching set of tools.
System dynamics is such a tool, allowing health practitioners to model and simulate problems ranging from the molecular level to the entire healthcare system and beyond. This introductory course will teach you the fundamental principles of system dynamics as you learn how to use system dynamics software to explore problems relevant to your field of health. Whether you work in molecular biology, clinical medicine, health policy, or any other health-related field, this course will equip you to investigate the effects of time delays, feedback and system structure. You will learn how to interpret the causes of typical system behaviors such as growth, decay and oscillation in terms of the underlying system properties, and to rapidly develop computer-based models and run simulations to gain insight into the problems in your domain.
This course will empower you with a deeper understanding and an enhanced capacity to achieve useful interventions in healthcare.
What you'll learn
Taught by
David Rubin, Tak Igusa and Robyn Letts
Effective and meaningful engagement with complex modern medical systems requires an overarching set of tools.
System dynamics is such a tool, allowing health practitioners to model and simulate problems ranging from the molecular level to the entire healthcare system and beyond. This introductory course will teach you the fundamental principles of system dynamics as you learn how to use system dynamics software to explore problems relevant to your field of health. Whether you work in molecular biology, clinical medicine, health policy, or any other health-related field, this course will equip you to investigate the effects of time delays, feedback and system structure. You will learn how to interpret the causes of typical system behaviors such as growth, decay and oscillation in terms of the underlying system properties, and to rapidly develop computer-based models and run simulations to gain insight into the problems in your domain.
This course will empower you with a deeper understanding and an enhanced capacity to achieve useful interventions in healthcare.
What you'll learn
- Basics of systems and their behaviors
- Structure of simple systems and how they correlate with system behavior
- Zero and first-order systems
- Ability to apply system dynamics methodology to a wide range of medical problems
- Ability to use system dynamics software to rapidly develop models and run simulations of problems
Syllabus
Week 0: Welcome to the course
Week 1: Causal Loop Diagrams; Levels and rates; Developing and running a simple Vensim model; The nuts and bolts of Vensim's basic calculation; Visual integration and differentiation
Week 2: Zero-order systems; First-order systems
Week 3: Feedback; Modeling epidemics; A simple model of a bioreactor – a system dynamics example
Week 4: Pharmacokinetics; Clearance; Single compartment model of dialysis; Two-compartment model of dialysis
Week 5: Obesity - a system dynamics example
Week 6: Second-order systems, Lookup tables, Conclusion
Week 0: Welcome to the course
Week 1: Causal Loop Diagrams; Levels and rates; Developing and running a simple Vensim model; The nuts and bolts of Vensim's basic calculation; Visual integration and differentiation
Week 2: Zero-order systems; First-order systems
Week 3: Feedback; Modeling epidemics; A simple model of a bioreactor – a system dynamics example
Week 4: Pharmacokinetics; Clearance; Single compartment model of dialysis; Two-compartment model of dialysis
Week 5: Obesity - a system dynamics example
Week 6: Second-order systems, Lookup tables, Conclusion
Taught by
David Rubin, Tak Igusa and Robyn Letts