No. 56 (2019): Issue 56 | The Network: Towards Unity for Health (TUFH) Community Approaches and Population Health

Dear Reader,

"You have to have a big vision and take very small steps to get there. You have to be humble as you execute but visionary and gigantic in terms of your aspiration. In the Internet industry, it's not about grand innovation, it's about a lot of little innovations: every day, every week, every month, making something a little bit better."

This sentiment from early tech entrepreneur Jason Calacanis refers to building companies in an age of rapid growth, unexpected change, and a regulatory environment trying to keep pace. This quote also perfectly frames the current state of our global health ecosystem. The articles of our 56th edition, curated by The Network: Toward Unity for Health (TUFH), detail the link between small steps and collective aspiration and impact. Our second edition with TUFH in as many months, highlights the pioneers in community approaches and population health who are incorporating societal and environmental factors into health services to create a more equitable and accessible health care ecosystem around the globe. 

This edition, “The Network: Towards Unity for Health (TUFH) Community Approaches and Population Health,” features initiatives that are at once small steps and gigantic visions for the promise that these innovations hold for moving into the future of health care today. Leveraging blockchain technology to improve elderly care, incorporating social accountability to drive rural health outcomes, implementing community-driven population health innovations, and confronting income, nutrition, and health inequality for single mothers and their families are among the many out-of-the-box practices we are excited to feature in our latest edition. 

The focus on Community Health as prioritized by TUFH, highlights the most effective approaches to serve and engage remote and rural, indigenous, migrants and refugees, women, and elderly populations. While Population Health seeks to raise awareness of the importance of investing in health workforce education and is oriented towards meeting the needs, performance measurement, and the impact of innovation in advancing the policies, strategies, and approaches that must be aligned to improve the quality, relevance, equity, and cost effectiveness of the delivery of health services. The authors of this edition are the practitioners and health innovators who work tirelessly to drive change little by little to make things better for all people. These programs create a patchwork tapestry that together shows a unified picture of the potential of the thriving global health ecosystem.  

To bridge the gap between good intentions and government or institutional transformations, organizations such as TUFH have a critical role in serving as the link and connector between global policy organizations and local change agents such as policymakers, institutions, and associations who are doing the groundwork. The work of TUFH and its partner organizations advances the dialogue and grow global consensus, expand the capacity of local innovators, and create platforms for interprofessional education to be shared. To achieve quality and equitable health care we must continue to take small steps with little innovations every day, every week, and every month to make things a little bit better for all people around the world.

Yours in Innovation,

Nicholas Torres and Tine Hanson-Turton, Co-founders

Mike Clark, President and Alescia M. Dingle, Managing Editor