The sometimes slow speed of systems change is a common challenge in improving health and well-being—one that sometimes delays the positive impacts that research findings can have on people’s lives and the health care system.
This challenge is being tackled head-on with a “design jam”-style event focusing on LGBT2SQI2S health and wellness, and organized by a robust, cross-sectoral partnership between the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)’s Institute of Gender and Health, Egale Canada, Hacking Health, Rainbow Health Ontario, Cossette Health and the Michael Smith Foundation.
The Design Jam itself, happening Feb. 23-24 in Vancouver, BC, is part of the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health’s Hacking the Knowledge Gap initiative. The event will be driven by “design thinking,” an approach to solving complex problems based on the concept that solutions should be created with and not just for users; each user is an expert on their own experiences, and their perspectives should shape the development of products and services built for them.
The event will bring together ten groups of participants, each composed of: researchers; community partners; health care professionals; designers; illustrators; marketers; business and communications mentors; engineers; and developers. We are currently seeking Vancouver-area LGBT2SQI2S community members, their family members, and local health care professionals involved with LGBT2SQI2S health care to participate. Please fill out the brief survey below by Feb. 12, 2018 if this is you.
Envisioned as a creative and intensive two-day event, the Design Jam will be a hands-on workshop where participants can collaborate with like-minded innovators. At the Design Jam, participants will learn about and use the design thinking approach to innovate solutions, working together with a range of experts they might not normally work with.
The Design Jam is a truly unique opportunity to learn about working collaboratively between community partners, researchers, health care providers, and business and media. Together, we will develop ways to bridge the significant knowledge gaps that exists between health research findings, community knowledge and clinical practice.
After the event, participating researchers will work towards refining and scaling the solutions created at the Design Jam for widespread use. This will be supported by grants from CIHR and prizes that will be awarded at the event’s conclusion.
Questions? Please email vancouver@hackinghealth.ca