Douglas Luke is a leading researcher in the areas of public health policy, systems science, implementation science, and tobacco control. Luke directs work focused primarily on the evaluation, dissemination and implementation of evidence-based public health policies.

Over the past decade, Luke has used systems science methods, especially social network analysis and agent-based modeling, to address important public health problems. He published the first review papers on network analysis in public health in 2007, and on systems science methods in public health in 2012. He has written books on multilevel modeling and network analysis.

Luke is the director of the Center for Public Health Systems Science, which uses innovative research and evaluation methods to study the development and implementation of evidence-based public health policies and clinical practices.

Luke is also director of evaluation for WashU’s Institute of Clinical and Translational Science and a founding member of the Washington University Network of Dissemination and Implementation Researchers.

Luke served on an Institute of Medicine panel that produced a national report on the use of agent-based modeling for tobacco regulatory science. He helped develop the Translational Science Benefits Model, a framework designed to help public health and clinical scientists demonstrate the impact of their work in the real world.

Luke teaches the public health course Social Network Analysis. He is also involved in training early-stage investigators on translational science and designing research for impact.