Network on Inequality, Complexity & Health

The working group meeting will bring together interested SFI scholars and members of the NIH-sponsored Network on Inequality, Complexity & Health (NICH, http://sitemaker.umich.edu/nich/home), an interdisciplinary group (economics, epidemiology, neuroscience, developmental psychology, computer science, animal behavior, political science, mathematics, sociology, education, complex systems, communications, etc.) that has been meeting for almost five years with a focus on catalyzing innovative work and building bridges between complex systems simulation and modeling approaches and population health issues related to inequality, health disparities, and, more generally,  the social determinants of health. If we are to understand the links from cells-to-society, and the dynamic, multi-level, multi- scale, and emergent complex processes that generate patterns of population health, across the life course and between places, such an approach is critical and NICH has been at the forefront of building these bridges. It is now time to take stock of what has been accomplished over this period, to identify opportunities and obstacles, and to lay out an agenda for the field. It is our hope that SFI scholars will bring their unique perspectives to this discussion, and in doing so help to shape the future of a critically important approach to society and health.