CSART

Successful application of computer simulation to complex health and social sector problems requires a transdisciplinary approach focused at the intersection of computer science, data science, population health and social sciences. A range of boot camps, ‘Hackathons,’ and more intensive semester long courses relevant to the application of computer simulation and advanced research technologies in health are offered by CSART Board Director Nathaniel Osgood of the University of Saskatchewan, Canada which have also been delivered as customized short courses (by invitation) in Australia and the US. Academic programs in systems modelling and simulation are also being offered under the leadership of CSART Board Director Paulo Gonçalves at Università della Svizzera italiana, Switzerland.

However, to achieve broad, routine engagement with these methods in the health and social sectors, computer simulation needs to be integrated into the undergraduate and post-graduate pathways of public health training, epidemiology and biostatistics, health policy, management and administration, and health economics courses. CSART will provide resources to support collaboration between the Partner Institutions to develop world leading transdisciplinary systems science curriculum for population health, comprising content modules and teaching resources. These modules are to be integrated into existing training programs across Affiliate Institution sites in the first instance, and later offered more broadly to other academic institutions. Once sufficient momentum and job opportunities exist in the field, there may be sufficient demand to warrant the development of a standalone, accredited, transdisciplinary academic program.