Synopsis

The term ‘learning health systems’ is not new. But widespread consensus that learning is crucial for health system performance is not matched by shared understanding of how health systems learn. The speaker will present ideas for such shared understanding based on a recent report by the WHO’s Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research. Co-edited by the speaker, the report highlights different ways in which health systems learn, outcomes of learning, levels of health system organisation at which learning takes place and conditions that facilitate learning. A shared understanding of ‘learning health systems’ can serve as a useful guide for actions and investments to strengthen health systems worldwide.

Speaker

Dr Seye Abimbola is a health systems researcher from Nigeria. He is currently based at the University of Sydney in Australia, where his teaching and research focus on knowledge practices in global health, health system governance, and the adoption and scale up of health system innovations. He was awarded the 2020-2022 Prince Claus Chair in Equity and Development at Utrecht University in the Netherlands for his work on justice in global health research. He is the editor in chief of BMJ Global Health.