Health by Design
A Human-Centred Design Intensive for Healthcare Professionals
April 23 & 24, 2026
500 University Ave, Downtown Toronto
Design thinking is a human-centered process that invites us to think about, and approach, problems from new perspectives. With an emphasis on ideation, iteration, and collaboration, we can apply many components of design thinking to our work in healthcare and quality improvement.
In this two day, in person intensive, you’ll immerse yourself in the mindsets and methods of design thinking through hands on activities, rapid prototyping, and small group work.
You’ll have the chance to experiment with new approaches, translate research into clearly scoped problems, experience the power of collaborative problem-solving, and test ideas in real time. By the end of this intensive, you’ll leave with practical tools, fresh perspectives, and concepts you can bring back to your teams and clinical settings.
Learning Objectives
After active engagement in this program, participants will be better able to:
- Describe the mindsets and methods required to practice human-centred design.
- Use qualitative and ethnographic research tools to gather user-centred insights from patients, caregivers, and clinical teams.
- Synthesize qualitative data into defined problem frames that reveal user needs and focus innovation efforts.
- Generate creative solution concepts using structured ideation and convergence techniques.
- Build and iterate rapid prototypes and test them to refine solutions based on real feedback.
- Build team collaboration and creative confidence to champion design thinking in their organizations.
Program Structure
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2 full days in-person with presentations and hands-on activities
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Online pre and post work with curated readings, videos and exercises
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Blend of individual and collaborative, group work.
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A reflection assignment that reinforces integration into practice.
Who is Health by Design For?
This program is designed for health professionals interested in creative problem solving, leading change, or exploring innovation in healthcare.
Many of our learners have found that the program material nicely supplemented their own work in quality improvement (QI). Some say that design thinking is the missing puzzle piece in furthering QI projects.
We welcome participation from:
- Physicians
- Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, and Physician Assistants
- Allied Health Professionals
- Administrators
- Faculty, Educators, and Researchers
- Health entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs
- Graduate students, post-doctoral students, medical residents, and young professionals
A diversity of perspectives, experiences, and expertise is welcome as it will lend itself to a dynamic interdisciplinary and applied learning environment.
Health by Design registration includes a copy of Health Design Thinking by Bon Ku and Ellen Lupton.
