How do we set the stage for better health, by design?
The world is in crisis today. It has more than ever before- and more to lose as well. At the core of this crisis is our health as a planet, as people, and as a society. This course is set up to explore systemic issues of health and address them along the design continuum- from information to product, to place, to policy, while being anchored on the environments we live in, and the human minds & behaviors that shape them. It is practice-based and focused on making real, actionable, meaningful change. This semester it zeroes in on Brain Health, and how design can support intergenerational connection, individual cognitive health, and social capital.
This two-part course is founded on the belief that design makes a difference.
We will learn how to link design intent to health outcomes and explore what it means to truly improve health and well-being. What are the measures? Are they meaningful? Do they matter?
We will learn about evidence-based design and evidence-challenging design. We will also learn about wellness-focused certification systems- and why we started needing them. We will learn about core areas like public health, clinical outcomes, safety, technology, and human perception- and then seek to bridge this insight, across disciplines, toward some key challenges of our times
In HealthByDesign 1 we will take a broad approach to health and consider the health across all aspects of our lives, and how they are shaped by our environments across the design continuum. In HealthByDesign 2 we will focus on the healthcare systems and environments for healthcare ranging from primary care to critical care. Each semester you will be given a design challenge that you have to resolve based on now, next, far research-based interventions that can help achieve better health outcomes, BY design and become part of a growing healthbydesign community.
- Dr. Upali Nanda
Professor of Practice at Taubman School of Architecture & Urban Planning, an Adjunct Faculty at the School of Public Health, a Fellow of the Institute for Health Policy Innovation, and the Global Director of Innovation for HKS, an international architecture firm. ︎
Guest speakers will join most of these classes, held in the evening to better include professionals- from private companies, health systems, and non-profit agencies. Each session will have a catalyst presentation, an interdisciplinary conversation, and a point of view generation.
The outcome of the course will be a position paper and a 5-minute video with a proposed intervention/ innovation that is actionable, bridges disciplines, and addresses the design continuum. We encourage students from various disciplines to take this course- so we can have a rich dialogue and an actionable outcome.
For more information, please email upali@umich.edu ︎
Thank you to our guest speakers and critics!
Winter 2024 guest speakers ︎
Fall 2023 guest speakers ︎
Fall 2022 guest speakers ︎
Fall 2021 guest speakers︎
Summer 2020 guest speakers︎
Winter 2020 guest speakers︎
Review our Fall 2022 Course Timeline ︎