In her latest paper Engagement as a Mechanism of Action in Collaborative Learning Health Systems, Dr. Alexandra Vinson, Ph.D. redefines what it means to be engaged in healthcare. Rather than limiting engagement to patient compliance or surface-level participation, she frames it as a core mechanism that powers how Learning Health Systems function and improve.
Engagement, as Vinson explains, is a dynamic process that connects people, ideas, and resources across all levels of a system. It’s not a bonus—it’s the engine. Here’s how she and her colleagues make that case:
- Connections matter: The strength and number of relationships between stakeholders—patients, families, clinicians, researchers—directly influence how well the system works.
- Everyone contributes: Engagement is a shared responsibility. All participants can meaningfully shape health outcomes.
- It’s foundational: Like medication or hospital infrastructure, engagement is essential. It forms part of the cultural scaffolding that shapes how people collaborate and solve problems.
- It’s emotional: True engagement involves emotional investment. People feel connected—to the work, to each other, and to the purpose.
Dr. Vinson brings this vision to life not just in her research, but in practice. A medical sociologist and faculty member at the University of Michigan, she has spent the past 7 years studying how collaborative systems can drive lasting change in healthcare. She co-leads the Bipolar Disorder Learning Community (BDLC), where she helps build inclusive spaces where every voice matters—from ideation to implementation.
In both her scholarship and leadership, Dr. Vinson shows that engagement is more than a concept—it’s a way forward for healthcare transformation.
The Bipolar Disorder Learning Community (BDLC) is a diverse group of researchers, clinicians, individuals with bipolar disorder, and their loved ones. It amplifies community voices and promotes mental health equity through shared knowledge and collective action within the University of Michigan healthcare system. If you would like more information about the BDLC, please connect with us:
Claudia Diaz-Byrd at [email protected]
Alexandra Vinson at [email protected]