Description

This seminar aims to delve into the intricate world of decision-making within the complex landscape of health systems research.

Speakers:

• Prof. Hans Keune: Political scientist, Ph.D. in environmental sciences, coordinates the Chair Care and the Natural Living Environment (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp), with extensive expertise in critical complexity, inter- and transdisciplinarity, action-research, expert elicitation, and decision support within the realms of environment, nature, and health.
• Prof. Johan Springael: Renowned expert with a long track record at the Department of Engineering Management (Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Antwerp), specializes in operations research and decision support systems, including Multi-Criteria Decision Support (MCDS).

Prof. Keune and Prof. Springael will first give an introduction to Multi-Criteria Decision Support (MCDS), which will provide you with an understanding of the utility and characteristics of MCDS in navigating complex health systems research. You will learn how to address the challenges and opportunities that arise when dealing with diverse information, opinions, actor perspectives, and decision-making criteria. They then will share insights from their extensive collaboration and experiences in applying MCDS in various environmental health contexts, by exploring key methodological choices that shape MCDS, including diversity tolerance, handling uncertainty and differences of opinion, and addressing the epistemological divide, and showing you that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to complex issues; instead, methods are chosen and tailored based on practical considerations.