Network Science Research
We’ve done a lot of research and written many papers over our decades of time studying networks. Topics range from network governance and communication to network trust and strategies. Here are all our peer-reviewed articles and other scientific papers free to read and use for non-commercial purposes. Check back for new network science research – we’re always publishing new findings and sharing new papers!
Community Carrying Capacity to Address Health System Referrals: A Networked Approach
Visible Network Labs is constantly conducting new research into networks, including social connectedness, inter-organizational collaboration, cross-sector partnership, and community and public health. This new paper was introduced at the 2020…
Health System Patient Referrals for Unmet Social Needs: Exploring the Capacity of Community-Based Organizations to Absorb Them
We conducted this research to better understand the capacity of community organizations to abosrb health system patient referrals for unmet social needs. This study examines the perspectives, resources, role and…
Using Social Network Analysis to Understand the Perceived Role and Influence of Foundations
In this research study (“Using Social Network Analysis to Understand the Perceived Role and Influence of Foundations”) we used social network analysis and the PARTNER Platform to better understand how…
Partnerships for Recovery Across The Sectors (PRACTIS) Toolkit
This toolkit demonstrates how to use the PARTNER platform for coordinating and assessing recovery networks. Based on a partnership between VNL, RAND, and the NY State Health Department, the use…
Evaluating Networks Using PARTNER: A Social Network Evaluation Tool
Today, cross-sector partners are working together and utilizing a systems approach to solve and tackle complex social problems facing their communities. While building cross-sector organizational networks has become a best…
Structural Holes and Networks
The theory of structural holes and networks suggests that intentional leaving gaps between members of a network provides certain key advantages. Tightly interconnected networks are full of redundant information –…
The Strength of Weak Ties
The Strength of Weak Ties was one of the most important network science theories in existence. In 1973, Mark Granovetter wrote his landmark paper studying how people get jobs through…
Implications of Network Structure on Public Health Collaboratives
Interorganizational collaboration is an essential function of public health agencies. These partnerships form social networks that involve diverse types of partners and varying levels of interaction. Such collaborations are widely…
Public Health, Mental Health & Primary Care Differences in Urban and Rural Counties in a System of Care for Children with Special Healthcare Needs
Background: Collaboration among partners in a health system of care (SOC) has many benefits. In large and complex systems, the role of public health, mental health, and primary care play…
Hospital Interaction and Investment in Public Health Systems: A Conceptual Study
Background: Health care reform has resulted in changes throughout the health system, including the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and IRS requirements that nonprofit hospitals conduct community health needs assessments and…
How to Identify Success Among Networks that Promote Active Living
Objectives. We evaluated organization- and network-level factors that influence organizations’ perceived success. This is important for managing interorganizational networks, which can mobilize communities to address complex health issues such as…
Contributions of Health Care Coalitions to Preparedness and Resilience: Perspectives From Hospital Preparedness Program and Health Care Preparedness Coalitions
Objective: The purpose of this article was to describe how the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) and other health care coalitions conceptualize and measure progress or success and to identify strategies…
Patterns in PARTNERing across Public Health Collaboratives
Abstract: Inter-organizational networks represent one of the most promising practice-based approaches in public health as a way to attain resources, share knowledge, and, in turn, improve population health outcomes. However,…
Systems of Care for Children with Special Healthcare Needs: A Patient-Centered Approach to Evaluate Public Health Roles
Abstract: Despite the apparent success that local and state health departments have had integrating a public health approach to provide programs and services for families with children who have complex…
Network analysis of RE-AIM framework: chronology of the field and the connectivity of its contributors
The reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance (RE-AIM) framework has been widely used for translational research. We used social network analysis (SNA) to explore how innovative research frameworks, such as…
The Influence of Teaching Methodology on Student Social Interaction
In this paper, we explore the effects of various teaching methodologies on the social interactions reported by university students in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado…
Analysis of Network Characteristics and Quality of Interactions Among Public Health Collaboratives
While the benefits of collaboration have become widely accepted and the practice of collaboration is growing within the public health system, a paucity of research exists that examines factors and…
A Systemic Review of Collaboration and Network Research in the Public Affairs Literature
In public health departments across America, teams are building partnerships and networks in their communities to help address the social determinants of health and other upstream community health factors. However,…
Theory of Collaborative Policy Networks: Identifying Structural Tendencies
Support for the “democratization of the policy sciences” has led to the development of a number of frameworks and theories to enhance the normative, multidisciplinary approach to policy analysis. However,…
Growth of Partnerships for Patient Safety: A Study of Practice Adoption
In this paper, our team tried to better understand the Growth of Partnerships for Patient Safety, specifically considering their impact on patient safety practice adoption rates. Read the full paper…
Didn’t find what you were looking for? Use the search and filter options on the right to conduct a more personalized search, or visit our Network Science Resource Library for complete access to all of our webinars, infographics, articles and research all in one place.
You can also visit our PARTNER Research & Evaluation Example Page to see a few dozen examples of third party studies and evaluations conducted using our tools and software. Network analysis provides a powerful lens for improving collaboration and networking.
We follow a number of peer-reviewed journals to inform and advance our work. Here’s a list of some of the sources we recommend related to network science, public health, collaboration and social impact.
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Colorado’s Early Childhood Councils play an important role in improving health, education and other social outcomes for kids. They do this by connecting and coordinating work between stakeholders in the early childhood ecosystem. This includes nonprofits, government agencies, healthcare providers, educators, and other community organizations.
Nearly a decade ago, our founder Dr. Danielle Varda accompanied her mother to a check-in appointment with oncologist. Her mom had been fighting breast cancer for nearly a year and was beginning to struggle to take care of herself all by herself. 
