What if we could predict how health trends shift by simulating real-world interactions—like the impact of a new policy, the placement of a grocery store, or the launch of an outreach program? In this episode, we take a micro-dive into agent-based modeling (ABM), a powerful yet underused method for exploring how individual behaviors and social factors shape health outcomes. ABM helps uncover unexpected connections and offers a fresh lens for tackling disparities and testing interventions. If traditional models have ever felt overly simplistic or incomplete, this episode will show you why ABM might be the game-changer population health has been waiting for.

Learn more about Agent-Based Modeling and find some resources from Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health here.

Sources:

Badham, J., Chattoe-Brown, E., Gilbert, N., Chalabi, Z., Kee, F., & Hunter, R. F. (2018). Developing agent-based models of complex health behaviour. Health & Place, 54, 170–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2018.08.022
Boyd, J., Wilson, R., Elsenbroich, C., Heppenstall, A., & Meier, P. (2022). Agent-Based Modelling of Health Inequalities following the Complexity Turn in Public Health: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(24), 16807. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416807
Maglio, P. P., & Mabry, P. L. (2011). Agent-Based Models and Systems Science Approaches to Public Health. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 40(3), 392–394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2010.11.010
Silverman, E., Gostoli, U., Picascia, S., Almagor, J., McCann, M., Shaw, R., & Angione, C. (2021). Situating agent-based modelling in population health research. Emerging Themes in Epidemiology, 18(1), 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12982-021-00102-7
Tracy, M., Cerdá, M., & Keyes, K. M. (2024). Agent-Based Modeling in Public Health: Current Applications and Future Directions. Annual Review of Public Health, 39(1), 77–94. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040617-014317

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It’s Kinda Like the Sims, but for Healthcare

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