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Dr. Diane Finegood applies systems thinking and dialogue to address complex problems across a broad range of topics, with a particular focus on health systems and public health. She uses dialogue as a key tool in the application of systems thinking, as it helps to build a shared understanding of challenges and supports problem solving.
Diane’s most recent work has been supporting the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) in public engagement to inform a Framework for Diabetes in Canada. Following the tabling of the Framework in October 2023, Diane is leading further public engagement towards implementation of the framework. This work is supported by Dr. Lee Johnston and the Social Enterprise of the Centre for Dialogue.
Another key commitment for Dr. Finegood is to the Centre for Dialogue’s pedagogical programs including the Semester in Dialogue. Her teaching has evolved to provide students an opportunity to practice being in dialogue, self-reflection, active listening, giving and receiving feedback, and other skills needed within and beyond the academy. She is also applying ungrading techniques in the classroom, supporting the evolution of the CAMP program and facilitating two pedagogical communities of practice.
Other projects currently on the go include working with Diabetes Canada on a project aimed at changing the conversation about diabetes; supporting the Pacific Autisim Family Centre and the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Vancouver in addressing the challenge of ensuring palliative and hospice care for individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities; and facilitating healthy living roundtables for PHAC.
About Diane's Fellowship
Dr. Diane Finegood works with the application of systems thinking and dialogue to address complex problems across a broad range of topics with a particular focus on health systems and public health. Dr. Finegood views dialogue as an important tool in the application of systems thinking as it helps to build a shared understanding of the challenge and supports problem resolution.
Dr. Finegood’s recent work has been supporting dialogue to come to fruition as a first step in addressing complexity in health and public health including, this has included:
- Facilitating a series of six dialogues on the state of systems thinking as applied to public health as co-chair of an expert advisory group for the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and the UK Academy of Medical Sciences
- Leading the creation of and facilitating more than 20 online dialogues as part of a COVID-19 Community Resilience Network
- Facilitating the wider public on the complex nature of COVID-19 exploring its many dimensions as a wicked problem
- As faculty for the winter session Semester in Dialogue with a thematic focus on wicked problems
Dr. Finegood also supports and participates in several communities of practice including: Cohort-based experiential learning faculty and a group of Health System Impact Fellows. Dr. Finegood posts regularly on LinkedIn on these topic areas and can be connected with there.
Select Honours & Awards
- SFU Awards for Excellence in Teaching, Community Engaged or Experiential Education Award (2022)
Select Media & Publications
- Diane Finegood article (Wikipedia)
- Informing a Framework for Diabetes in Canada: Stakeholder Engagement Summary. Public Health Agency of Canada: Stakeholder Engagement Summary menu_book Diane Finegood and Lee Johnson (Public Health Agency of Canada, September 2022)
- Systems-based approaches in public health: Where next? menu_book Susan Jebb, Diane Finegood, Ana Diez Roux, Harry Rutter, John Clarkson, John Frank, Noralou Roos, Chris Bonell, Susan Michie, Penny Hawe (UK Academy of Medical Sciences and Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, September 2021)
- Knowledge Transfer Processes: Relevance in Obesity Prevention smart_display by Diane Finegood (Best-ReMaP Joint Action of the European Union, Dec 13, 2021)
- Systems Thinking for UK Prevention Research Program smart_display Diane Finegood (UKPRP Call 2 Meeting, September 24, 2019)
- Can We Build an Evidence Base on the Impact of Systems Thinking for Wicked Problems? (2020, "Comment on “What Can Policy-Makers Get Out of Systems Thinking? Policy Partners’ Experiences of a Systems-Focused Research Collaboration in Preventive Health”)
- Systems approaches to complex/wicked problems (2020, panel presentation, University of Toronto Designing Healthcare for the Future)
- What I'm learning about remote teaching (SFU VP Academic Faculty Feature, February 2021)