Dear faculty, staff and students,
I am pleased to announce I have appointed Peter S. Hovmand, PhD, MSW, as interim director for the Center for Community Health Integration (CHI), succeeding Kurt Stange, MD, PhD, who I announced earlier this week is stepping away from his role as director.
Dr. Hovmand, the Pamela B. Davis MD PhD Professor of Medicine, is an internationally recognized leader in developing and applying participatory methods in system dynamics and systems science in public health and science. Trained as an electrical engineer and social worker, he brings a unique research focus to closing the gap between engineering/science and lived experience to advance health equity.
His novel approach to solving some of the most pressing challenges in healthcare today is rooted in Community Based System Dynamics (CBSD). This approach to group model building for engaging communities in system dynamics works to develop a common language for understanding the internal sources of system behavior.
Building upon the strong foundation of developing innovative approaches to addressing the myriad of complex problems and the effects of social, environmental and biological systems on health, Dr. Hovmand will work with the outstanding faculty, staff and students within CHI to continue to bring forward solutions to address health equity to improve community health.
Dr. Hovmand expressed his thoughts on assuming his new leadership role:
I find inspiration in collaborating with colleagues who are deeply passionate about their work for advancing community health and equity. Having the opportunity to learn from them is truly humbling, and I am appreciative of the talent and potential within this team.
—Peter S. Hovmand, PhD, MSW
Prior to joining our faculty in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Center for Community Health Integration, Dr. Hovmand founded and led the Social System Design Lab at the Brown School of Social Work of Washington University from 2009 to 2020. He authored the book Community Based System Dynamics and led the creation of Scriptapedia as a knowledge common for group model building scripts. He serves as an associate editor for System Dynamics Review.
His additional research efforts include—social epistemology of participatory systems methods for advancing equity in policy and practice, sustaining common pool resources for community and public health, addressing bias in machine learning/artificial intelligence and increasing diversity in STEM with an emphasis on advancing the design sciences and regional equity.
Please join me in welcoming Dr. Hovmand to his new role as interim director for the CHI.
Sincerely,
Stan Gerson, MD
Dean and Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs
School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University