Eline Meuleman went on a work visit across England for a week of conversations about systems approaches in public health,  from February 23 to 27, 2026.

"My colleague Naomi de Pooter (Utrecht University) and I travelled by train across England for a week of conversations about systems approaches in public health. Between 23 and 27 February, we visited colleagues in Leeds, Cambridge and London to exchange experiences and share our work.

Our journey started in Leeds, where James Nobles (Leeds Beckett University) organised a symposium bringing together around ten researchers from universities including York, Sheffield and Manchester. Over the course of two days, we discussed how systems approaches are being used in different public health domains. Naomi and I presented our work on the Thriving Teens and Minding the Gap projects, which focus on improving youth mental wellbeing and addressing health inequalities through a systems lens. It was inspiring to see how many different ways researchers are trying to understand – and change – complex systems.

Beyond the formal presentations, some of inspiring conversations happened in the spaces in between. On Monday evening, we went out for dinner with a few colleagues, whereas on Tuesday morning, we met James again for coffee to continue exchanging ideas about systems research, implementation challenges, and future collaborations.

On Wednesday we took the train south to Cambridge, where Alexia Sawyer (University of Cambridge) had organised another symposium. The discussions there again sparked conversations about how researchers can work effectively with policy and practice partners. Our final stop was London, where we visited Elizabeth McGill (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine) on Friday. There we had the opportunity to present our work once more and discuss decisions made during system processes in working together with local governments.

Across all three visits, a few reflections stayed with us.

  • Language and framing matter. How systems approaches are described can influence whether decision-makers engage with them. Positive, asset-based framing often resonates better with policy priorities and helps build momentum for this kind of work.
  • Impact often starts in the preconditions. Many systems initiatives first create change in the conditions that make collaboration possible: relationships between partners, governance structures, and the development of a shared language. These foundations are essential before concrete system actions can emerge.
  • The role of the researcher is flexible. In systems approaches, researchers rarely have a single fixed role. Depending on the context, they may act as knowledge brokers, facilitators, learning partners, or evaluators.

What struck us most throughout the week was how valuable it is to learn across countries and disciplines when working on complex public health challenges such as adolescent mental health. Systems approaches are still evolving, and these kinds of exchanges help us collectively figure out what works and what still needs to change."