Designing w/CARE:Co-Creating Solutions for Complex Care Coordination in Oncology

Catalog description

What does providing healthcare to patients with complex care coordination needs mean? How do we build processes and systems to ensure patients and family members receive the care they need and want? How can design thinking help healthcare institutions improve population health, reduce costs, enhance the care experience, and advance health equity? As a class, our primary aim is to explore how 'small wins' can lay the groundwork for a comprehensive approach to care. Students will work with University and Health System leaders to explore current and future clinical needs and propose solutions to improve cancer care delivery. It is a tremendous opportunity to gain first-hand experience through interactions with diverse students, healthcare providers, patients, and their caregivers. This course explores these questions within an academic-clinical partnership with the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at UPMC Magee Women's Hospital. Throughout the semester, rotating class meetings between the Carnegie Mellon School of Design and Duquesne University with exposure to experts in the field of design, healthcare, nursing, and population health. Each institution will run this course simultaneously, with opportunities for cross-pollination and transdisciplinary learning. In the second half of the semester, students will apply the knowledge they have gained from their varied disciplines and the knowledge they have gained from the first half of the semester to work on a team-based project.