Lessons Learned From the Application of Systems Science to Tobacco Control at the National Cancer Institute

Nearly 10 years ago, the Tobacco Control Research Branch of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) developed a transdisciplinary initiative to explore the application of systems thinking approaches and methods to research, practice, and policy in tobacco prevention and control. The Initiative on the Study and Implementation of Systems (ISIS)1,2 was relatively new for NIH and resulted in much discourse among some scientists because of its sheer breadth and the scope of what it hoped to achieve: answers to the questions “Is it possible to understand the interplay of factors that both sustain and potentially disrupt tobacco use?” and “What structures and functions are essential for both understanding that complexity and improving our efforts in tobacco control?” We chose tobacco as an exemplar proof of concept for applying complexity theory and systems science to a wide range of behavioral and public health challenges.