Engineering for Women's Health

Catalog description

Women's health has historically been underserved in both medical research and technological innovation. This course explores how engineers can help close that gap by applying design thinking methodologies, including empathetic needsfinding and rapid prototyping, to identify and address health challenges unique to women. Topics span the full spectrum of women's health across life stages, from adolescence and pregnancy through perimenopause and menopause, as well as conditions such as gynecological and breast cancers. Through lectures, group discussions, and a hands-on team project, students will learn to translate insights from users and clinicians into tangible engineering solutions. Teams will identify an unmet need in women's health and design, prototype, and evaluate a concept that integrates engineering principles with human-centered design to improve healthcare outcomes in this rapidly growing field. Enrollment is by application only and requires a permission code from the instructor. This is a Cardinal Course certified by the Haas Center for Public Service.