Yesterday, I had the opportunity to present at the ACUMEN Workshop on Mental Health Systems Modelling in Australia alongside my colleague, Paul Crosland. The event brought together professionals across the mental health and systems modelling sectors to exchange best practices, discuss the current landscape, and explore the future direction of mental health systems modelling in Australia.
One key theme that emerged was the ongoing challenge of data availability and reliability in developing robust models. However, there was also a shared recognition of the critical role systems models play as powerful analysis tools that can incorporate expert knowledge and support mental health decision-makers.
We presented our system dynamics simulation model of youth mental health, developed specifically for the Western Sydney Primary Health Network catchment, as part of the Right Care, First Time, Where You Live program led by the Brain and Mind Centre at The University of Sydney and funded by the BHP Foundation.
It was incredibly rewarding to witness mental health professionals interacting with our model’s interface and posing thoughtful, practical questions about how it might meet their needs in real-world settings.
I would like to express my gratitude to Luis Salvador Carulla and Sebastian Rosenberg for hosting and chairing this valuable event, as well as Jo-An Occhipinti and Ian Hickie for their leadership in this impactful program. The conversations we had during this workshop will undoubtedly contribute to shaping the future of mental health systems modelling in Australia.
Let’s learn Systems Modelling together!
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