Design thinking in medical education
SKMC Scholarly inquiry - design
We established the first co-curricular design thinking program at a US medical school. Now a curricular track within the JeffMD Scholarly Inquiry program at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, our students learn how to think like designers and gain experience working in transdiciplinary teams. All SI-Design work is team based and collaborative.
SI-Design workshops generally occur in the Health Design Lab aka “The Vault”, a one of a kind creative space build to foster collaborative change. Outfitted with all the creative tools needed to imagine, build, and test concepts. Students have access to the lab and frequently join research projects being led by Health Design Lab faculty. Students may also initiate their own research projects or take what they have learned in the and work with other Jefferson researchers.
The SI-Design Track is designed for students who have:
Desire to build bridges across medicine and design.
Demonstrated curiosity about topics outside their field of study.
Confidence with and interest in learning new technologies.
Desire to visually communicate.
Strong interpersonal and team collaboration skills.
Comfort voicing opinions and speaking in front of small groups.
Comfort with ambiguity, ability to self-direct but also ask for help when needed.
Excellent project management, professionalism, and communication skills.
Example Student Projects
Redesigning Sepsis Care Conference 2022
In this interactive and thought-provoking forum, join us virtually to learn how a group of medical students are reimagining the delivery of critical sepsis care through Health Design Thinking. Redesigning Sepsis Care is a virtual conference AND pitch event was broadcast LIVE from the Jefferson Health Design Lab, all organized by students in the Sidney Kimmel Medical College Design Track! Hear from our Keynote Speakers, sepsis and resuscitation expert, Dr. David Gaieski, and April Chavez a maternal sepsis survivor and patient advocate. Following these expert talks, medical student teams presented their end-of-year pitches. These projects all focus on redesigning sepsis care to improve future sepsis outcomes.
Grip N’ Go
The Grip ‘N Go is comprised of a clip and a handle in order to improve safety and sanitation during a self-transfer to the toilet. The clip is placed on top of the toilet seat, enhancing both stability and sanitation of a self-transfer. The weight-bearing handle gives patients another safe location option to grab during a transfer to and from the toilet.