Workshops
Coverage Quest (2023)
As Design Project Manager for the Michigan Collaborative for Type 2 Diabetes (MCT2D), I was asked to create a 45 min interactive workshop that would engage our 300+ participating clinical champions in a conversation about insurance coverage for new diabetes medications. MCT2D hoped to gain a deeper understanding of what the coverage process looked like for both private and public insurance across the State of Michigan. In addition, we wanted clinicians to brainstorm actionable ways of improving their practice's coverage process and share back ways that MCT2D could support this work.
To address these needs, I lead the creation and facilitation of "Coverage Quest," a fantasy-themed micro-design workshop in which clinical champions were given a patient case, where the co-pay for his newly prescribed diabetes medication was too expensive. They were then asked to map their coverage process over several "levels" (phases) and identify individual steps, barriers, and best practices. They were given opportunities for conversation with other participants at their table, and time to reflect on their "quests" (process maps). They then identified one area they wanted to improve and one first step they would take to start this improvement process. Over 300 clinicians participated during a 6 week period and responded very positively to the workshop. MCT2D will use the process maps and ideas for improvement to help guide organizational work related to coverage.
Toward Thriving (2023)
Toward Thriving is a positive psychology design workshop created by Stephanie Tharp and Hannah Smotrich in partnership with chronic pain psychologist Afton Hassett. Participants were patients experiencing chronic pain who completed three weeks of at-home activities followed by a collaborative sense-making workshop.
As a design facilitator, I was paired with a psychologist from the Michigan Medicine Chronic Pain Clinic to help onboard participants to the at-home activities during the kickoff meeting, and facilitate the final sense-making workshop. Using a human-centered design approach, I walked participants through the results of each of their activities, build relationships with other chronic patient's in their group, and create goals that they wanted to work towards in the future.
Academic Poster Design Workshop (2023)
I created an academic poster design workshop to help students, staff, and faculty at the University of Michigan showcase their research in a visual and comprehensible way. The interactive workshop taught basic principles of design, such as hierarchy, color, and layout in a fun, accessible way. Participants collaborated during the workshop to identify their most important findings, sketch layouts, and prioritize visuals. The workshop emphasized design as a core component of communicating research effectively and much more than "making it pretty."
Racial Equity Community Discussion Sessions (2021)
As part of the Michigan Local Food Council Network's DEI Learning Cohort, we received a grant to conduct an Equity Action Project in our community. This grant supported several initiatives including multiple community discussions on racial equity facilitated by myself and my co-designer Keesa V. Johnson. During these discussions, we asked participants to share their stories and values, while participating in a set of community building activities. This helped us identity 3 major equity areas for the Washtenaw County Food Policy Council to target in their 3 year DEI plan.
Artist Professional Development Series (2021)
During the Winter 2021 semester, I organized a series of artist professional development workshops with the other Integrative Projects GSIs. I planned and co-taught 2 of these workshops for undergraduate students, which covered becoming a creative entrepreneur and different possible creative career paths after graduation.
Costume Design for High Schoolers (2021)
I created and taught a workshop for high school students covering the basics of design, design methods, and the role of costume designers. At the end of the 2-hour workshop, students created their own costume design based on the "emotions" from Pixar's film "Inside Out."
Costume Design for Elementary Students (2021)
I collaboarted with a local theatre teacher to collect questions about costume design from elementary school students. I then gave a recorded workshop answering student questions and talking about design methods and collaboration.
The Lunch Club Co-Creation Workshops (2020-2021)
During my MDes thesis research I conducted a series of co-creation workshops with high school students from across the country. During the 1-hour workshop, students were asked to map their current cafeterais and then ideate a set of recommendations for the cafeteria of the future. The workshops empowered students to view themselves as designers and change makers, while sharing their goals for the future of these spaces.
Accessible Hoop House Design Charrettes (2019)
In the Fall of 2019, the MDes cohort partnered with St. Joes hospital to help redesign their Accessible Hoop House. To gather input we conducted a series of design charrettes both in-person and online that engaged stakeholders in the design process and identified their needs for the space.
Self-care Isn't Selfish (2020)
As part of GrieveWell, I organized a virtual workshop called "Self-care isn't Selfish: Caring for yourself after pregnancy or infant loss." The workshop featured a series of speakers that guided participants through creating a self-care "vision board" to help them set goals for the new year.
Grief Centered Yoga Series (2019-2020)
I organized a series of yoga workshops taught by local instructors both in-studio and online. The workshops were free and provided a space for healing to those in grief through gentle postures, breathing, and centering exercises.
GrieveWell Ambassadors Program (2018-2020)
To support GrieveWell's outreach work, I designed and organized a volunteer Ambassador program. This included designing recruitment materials, giving trainings, and managing volunteers.
