Drug Distribution Game: A Hands-On Pilot Run to Refine and Enhance the Simulation for Engaging Learning

This interactive workshop showcases a gamified and role-playing simulation-based approach to teaching complex real-world challenges in public health. The session will engage participants in a pilot run of the “Drug Distribution Game”, a modified version of the well-established “Beer-Distribution Game” by Jay Wright Forrester at MIT, but adapted to simulate challenges in essential medicine supply chains (e.g., antibiotics) in the context of local health centres, distributors, manufacturers, and the local government. This experiential learning approach is designed to illustrate real-world logistical barriers in public health, including demand fluctuations, delays, and resource constraints – all of which are key in global healthcare systems.

Participants will gain first-hand experience of how gamification and role-playing simulation-based approaches may be effective in engaging learners and teaching complex real-world challenges, as well as developing key skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision-making processes. Furthermore, participants will actively provide a live insight to refine this learning activity through engagement, collaboration, and feedback.