Public health challenges such as pandemics, climate change, chronic diseases, and health inequalities emerge from complex adaptive systems where social, technical, and biological factors interact. Systems thinking and complexity science offer richer ways to address these issues, moving beyond linear or siloed approaches that overlook the interconnectedness of system components. Yet, enthusiasm for systems science has outpaced its practical application. Few interventions have been implemented or evaluated through a systems lens, leaving agencies struggling to translate theory into action, particularly when it comes to embedding or advancing equity and attending to both the “hard” (infrastructure, data, and models) and “soft” (culture, trust, relationships, and values) dimensions of health systems.
This Special Issue seeks to move the field from thinking in systems to doing in systems. Contributions are invited that use a systems approach to evaluate complex interventions, apply complexity frameworks in practice, and advance mixed and participatory methods. Submissions should show how systems thinking can embed or advance equity in health systems, whether through processes, structures, or outcomes. It is hoped that this Special Issue will serve as a resource for researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers seeking to navigate uncertainty, mobilise systems-level change, and foster more resilient and equitable public health futures.
The deadline for submissions is the 31st July 2026.
Further information is available here: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/systems/special_issues/55139BQ007
