2 minute read
HEALTH[CARE] DESIGN
2 THEME | HEALTH[CARE] DESIGN
LAUNCHPAD | THINKTANK “Future of Aging”
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At the end of 2018 the “Future of Aging” ThinkTank partnered with AARP, GE, CIC, State of Massachusetts, Stantec, Business Innovation Factory, and Boston University. Early 2019 the booklet and video were released and much traction generated among external partners and city/state departments, who used the materials to share with their network. This generated many leads for additional engagements with new partners.
In the Summer 2019 we partnered with Boston Childrens’ Hospital and MCPHS to bring together clinicians, nursing students and Wentworth students from diverse disciplines. Ideas generated focused on healthcare service quality and capturing bedside innovation more readily and systematically to impact hospital care on a larger scale.
BENCHMARKS HEALTH[CARE] DESIGN
123 Total engaged
52 Students representing 13 disciplines 21 Faculty Members representing 11 disciplines 15 Community Leaders 45 Industry Representatives
SPILL OVER INTO ACADEMICS
Fall 2019 | Senior Design | Joe Martel-Foley After partnering with BU on the “Future of Aging” ThinkTank, one of their Alumni launched a startup to develop an infant incubator and reached out to Accelerate. Students in Biomedical Engineering are now working with the Breegi Infant Incubator.
Spring 2020 | “Hospital Room of the Future” | Joe Martel-Foley, Lynette Panarelli Based on engagements with Boston Childrens Hospital and EPAM Continuum in 2019, we were pinged to generate ideas for a prototype room that combines technology, engineering, and haptical elements to improve patient experiences, care flow, and patient agency. The prototypes/ideas will inform the development of 400 new hospital rooms for a new Childrens clinical building.
VISIBILITY FOR WENTWORTH
- Future of Aging Booklet + Video - MCPHS published article on Hackathon on their website https://bit.ly/2tfQcdQ - Panelist at Mass Gerontology Spring Forum discussing interdisciplinary collaboration and ThinkTank methodologies as a way to break up industry silos and produce user generated solutions. - Discussions with MASCO CEO and VP around Wentworth model of innovation and guidance for LMA - Aging Simulation Kit developed in Accelerate was placed into the CIC/AGENCY to support startups focusing on aging. - Goddard House, a Senior Living Facility in Brookline, utilized the ThinkTank methodology for their strategy sessions including WIT students. - Goddard House/ Harvard/Hebrew Senior Living invited Wentworth to keynote their annual Aging Symposium in June 2020. In addition,10 WIT students will facilitate based on ThinkTank methodologies.
Harvard willl source 10 Brookline High School students. Both, Wentworth and Brookline High School students will attend one day workshop in Accelerate prior on facilitation and design thinking. - AARP MA President is hoping for Wentworth to support placemaking initiatives in 2020 as they push MA wide initiatives on loneliness/social isolation, cross-generational engagement.
FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES
Organizations focused on supporting seniors as well as community leaders are eager to figure out how to allow “aging in place” and creating “inclusive cross-generational” communities and are actively seeking our participation and input with programming, student engagement and engaging seniors in our class work, so students can develop ideas/solutions that matter.
Further, the Longwood Medical Area ecosystem is ripe for university partnerships and in need for quick rapid prototyping. The hospitals/universities haven’t defined a unified innovation strategy yet, which is an opportunity for WIT. Mobile makerspaces or an intake system to work side-by-side with clinicians to dedicate student time and bandwidth to solving challenges for the medical community can be a powerful push forward for Wentworth while expanding the LMA ecosystem and positiioning us as valuable player.
