Heather Stuckey , D.Ed.

I selected the book, Web of Life, by Fritjof Capra, 1982.  Capra introduced me to the rise of systems thinking, which was not yet a popular concept in health care at the time.  His scientific understanding of living systems, the theory of complexity, and chaos theory was accessible to read.  It led to thinking about how organisms, social systems and ecosystems are connected, and stood in sharp contrast to the paradigms of mechanism and linearity taught in classrooms.  I have more underlines, exclamation points and notes in this book than any other.  It is a mix between a graduate text of systems thinking and non-fiction mystery.  Capra talks about different points of instability at which dramatic and unpredictable events take place, where order emerges spontaneously and complexity unfolds.  One such example is the bifurcation point, a threshold at which a dissipative structure may either break down or break through to one of several new states of order.  Although he uses the metaphor of a branch and trees, that image instilled a sense of curiosity to wonder, “how have bifurcation points in life affected my experiences, through small fluctuations, to go one path or another.”  This incited my interest in dynamic health systems change, behavioral interventions as bifurcation points in the management of diabetes, and transformational learning that transcends black/white thinking.  

While a kindergartner, I went to the public library and checked out the maximum number of books.  As a child, the love for books and new points of view encouraged creativity and an excitement for travel, which continues throughout my life.  The Harrell library has helped me and my students with literature reviews and manuscripts.  We are working collaboratively to submit a literature review on best lifestyle practices for diabetes, and we have included a librarian on the introduction section of a grant application for PCORI to explore mixed methods research in patient-centered care.  I encourage students to contact the library to determine the best keywords for a medical literature search, or to find a resource of which they do not have access.  I have also used the library to help me with EndNote, and to gain access to articles and books through Iliad.  Thank you, Harrell, for propagating the love of literature and learning!