The Health Design Lab at Emily Carr is committed to providing design opportunities to students and faculty through collaborative partnerships that apply solution-focused, human-centred research methodologies to complex problems in health care.
Health Care has been a consistent research theme for 20 years at Emily Carr. The work started with a class of undergraduate students working with clients at GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre, which continues to be a yearly event to this day. Hundreds of solutions have been co-designed with partners over the years, ranging from assistive devices and communication tools, to mobile platforms and wheel chair designs.
Most recently we have partnered with Vancouver Coastal Health, which has led to the design of interactive hand sanitizers, mobile apps for nursing shift hand-overs, and concepts for web sites. Other projects include envisionaing an ambulatory cart design for Providence Health Care. Our work has been supported by companies like Stantec, the IBI group, and Guard RFID.
We are grateful for the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), whose funding has allowed projects with industry involvement, and for the strategic support of Emily Carr, in focusing on the important problems and opportunities in the health care sector.
