Note from the Principal Investigators

On behalf of the Population Health Innovation Lab (PHIL), a program of the Public Health Institute (PHI), we are excited to share Aligning Systems for Health research findings with you. This research is essential to produce generalizable knowledge that can guide effective collaboration in practice.

Research findings draw on over two years of dedication and research with 22 Accountable Communities of/for Health (ACHs) across California and Washington who provide essential coordination and support to their communities every day and without whom this research would not be possible.

The immense effort required to create, nurture, and support an ACH is complex and invaluable. The PHIL team believes this work is vital for improving the health, well-being, and equity of communities.

The mission of PHIL is to design, catalyze, and accelerate innovative approaches that advance health, well-being, and equity. PHIL contributes directly to the success of ACHs and similar health-focused multisector collaboratives across the country in two primary ways: by providing direct support such as capacity building; and by conducting original research to increase understanding of what works in multisector collaboration.

PHIL approaches the research process with humility and gratitude. We recognize no amount of data will enable us to fully understand each multisector collaborative’s unique context. However, we hope that by looking broadly at people and systems who are aligning in real-time, we can gain insight into what is working across settings and share the results as a resource for moving toward more equitable processes, outcomes, partnerships, and communities.

“To build community requires vigilant awareness of the work we must continually do to undermine all the socialization that leads us to behave in ways that perpetuate domination”

– bell hooks, “Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope,” 2003