The 3-D Commission: Forging a transdisciplinary synthesis at the intersection of social determinants of health, data, and decision-making
Authors: Salma M Abdalla, Sandro Galea
There is a growing recognition of the role social determinants of health (SDoH)—the conditions in which people live, grow, learn, work, play, and age—play in shaping the health of individuals and populations. Concurrently, the past two decades have witnessed an expansion of digital technologies that allow for the collection of data on our biology and on the forces in the world around us that affect our lives with far greater granularity than was previously possible. This expansion is often referred to as “big data” and has paved the way for new opportunities to document, measure, and analyze the forces that shape individual and population health.
The science of the SDoH and the growth of “big data” have largely developed separately, with relatively little interaction. It is not difficult, however, to envision how they can inform each other and, ultimately, guide decision-making to the end of improving health outcomes.
The Rockefeller Foundation, Boston University Commission on Determinants of health, Data, and Decision-making (3-D Commission) aims to accelerate this transdisciplinary synthesis through bringing together a diverse group of 25 experts from around the globe. The formation of the 3-D Commission was grounded in the premise that SDoH matter, that data on SDoH can help inform our understanding of how they matter, and that combining these two intellectual strands can help inform decision-making to the end of improving the health of individuals and populations. The 3-D Commission convened for three meetings that were complemented by nine smaller working group meetings. The final 3-D Commission report—which will be launched during the United Nations General Assembly in September 2021—will reflect the Commission deliberations, put forward a set of principles to advance both the intellectual and practical agenda of the Commission, and propose actionable recommendations for decision-makers.