OUR MISSION
We bring people together to redesign healthcare inside and outside the walls of the hospital.
OUR VISION
To create a healthier future through the reimagination of what health and healthcare can be.
Imagine a space where doctors and designers alike can come together and solve some of the toughest challenges in healthcare in one of the most evocative spaces in Philadelphia.
The Jefferson Health Design Lab exists to bring people from different backgrounds together and promote inclusive design in healthcare. From patients to providers, everyone has the potential to accelerate change and improve lives.
Fueled by traditional and modern prototyping technology and a foundation of Health Design Thinking, the Health Design Lab is more than just a maker space, but a space that will change the way we all think about the future of healthcare.
OUR TEAM
Led by a collaborative group of devoted industry leaders.
Bon Ku, MD, MPP
Bon Ku is the Marta and Robert Adelson Professor of Medicine and Design, the Associate Dean for Health & Design and a practicing emergency physician. His work toward redesigning healthcare has been featured in The New York Times, CNBC, Architectural Digest and Fast Company. Dr. Ku has spoken at conferences, academic medical centers and universities around the world: SXSW, TEDx, Yale School of Management, American Institute of Architects and Singapore Design Week. Dr. Ku is the host of the Design Lab Podcast, co-wrote the book, Health Design Thinking, with Ellen Lupton and was a regular panelist on the primetime medical TV show Chasing the Cure with Ann Curry.
Robert Pugliese, PharmD
Rob Pugliese is Director of the Health Design Lab and the Scholarly Inquiry Design Track at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. Robert also consults with diverse organizations to bring better design to healthcare innovation. Previously, Robert spent over 10 years as a clinical pharmacist practicing and teaching in the specialty of Emergency Medicine. As a person with insulin dependent diabetes, Robert takes personal interest in assuring that everyone has a voice in improving our healthcare system. In his free time, Rob spends time watching Anime with his spouse and 3 daughters and pursues many other creative endeavors!
Morgan Oakland Hutchinson, MD
Morgan Hutchinson, MD is an Assistant Medical Director and the Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Morgan’s work focuses on the applying a creative, human-centered approach to healthcare delivery and medical education.
MaryEllen Daley
MaryEllen A. Daley is the Special Projects Manager for the Health Design Lab (HDL) where she handles the day-to-day operations as well as providing administrative support. In addition, MaryEllen is the Education Coordinator for the Sidney Kimmel Medical College Scholarly Inquiry Design and Digital Health programs, where she manages and coordinates the track programs, while working closely with its students, leadership and faculty. While relatively new to the healthcare industry, her passion for design thinking and innovation coupled with her project and research management experience in the legal field, makes her an invaluable partner to the HDL team.
Olugbenga Okusanya, MD
Olugbenga Okusanya MD, FACS is a Mentor in the Scholarly Inquiry Design Track and an Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Division of Thoracic and Esophageal Surgery within the Department of Surgery. Dr. Okusanya is a career educator and thoracic oncology researcher. Dr. Okusanya has a personal passion for the education and training of future surgeons as well the elimination of health care disparities. He is also interest in the pedagogy of robotic assisted surgery.
Vishal Desai, MD
Health Design Lab Liaison to the Jefferson Dept of Radiology and Resarch Advisor
Assistant Professor of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University
Maribeth Kradel-Weitzel
Maribeth Kradel-Weitzel is an Assistant Provost for Academic Affairs, founding director of the Creativity Core Curriculum and founding Director of the MS Health Communication Design program at Thomas Jefferson University. She recently completed a three-year term on the National Board of Directors of AIGA: The Professional Association for Design (the largest professional organization for design) and is president emeritus of AIGA Philadelphia. Kradel-Weitzel is a 2024 recipient of the Provost Award for Creative Achievement and a 2021 recipient of the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. She is a Sappi Ideas that Matter grant recipient, a JeffSmart Fellow and has led many initiatives focused on leveraging design to improve health and equity for underserved populations. She is a newly appointed mentor in the Scholarly Inquiry Design Track for the Sidney Kimmel Medical College.
Ryan Tomlinson, PhD
Ryan Tomlinson is an associate professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University. He serves as the co-director of the Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine PhD Program and is a Mentor in the Scholarly Inquiry Design Track at Sidney Kimmel Medical College. In addition, he directs the university shared resources in bioprinting and atomic force microscopy. In the lab, Dr. Tomlinson’s primary research interests are related to bone biology, specifically inflammatory signals that control the response of the skeleton to mechanical forces. In his free time, Ryan enjoys spending time with his family, watching St. Louis Cardinals baseball, making sourdough bread, drinking coffee, and eating donuts.
Research Fellows
2023-2024
Sara Belko
Rachel Monane
2022-2023
Sara Belko
2021-2022
Lauren Schlegel
Eva Varotsis
2020-2021
Alice Jane Karp
Nicole Nester
2019-2020
Michelle Ho
2018-2019
Terry Gao
Research
Assistants
2023-2024
Eric Malani
3D BioLab
Leads
BioLab Director:
Ryan Tomlinson (2022-Present)
Interns:
Devin Morrison (2019-20)
Anne Hughes (2020)
Dayna DiPiero (2020-21)
Jack Kraynak (2021)
Anna Sung (2021)
Kaitlyn Marra (2021-22)
Health Design Interns
2022
Eric Malani
Danielle Kempner
2021
Marah Sakkal
Justin Williams
Martina Rama
Anahita Sehgal
Kapila Kommareddy
Danielle Kempner
Sara Belk0
2019
Aidan O’Donnell
Chitra Parikh
Devin Morrison
Eden Efrem
Emily Yu
Shreyas Chandragiri
Manasseh Alexander
Miranda Gregori
Nathan Ott
Nicole Nester
Lauren “Renie” McGrath
Sabrina Sequeira
Shayla Murray
2018
Marah Sakkal
Shamay Agaron
Noshin Khan
Linh Nguyen
Michael Velez
Jason Core
Devon Cross
Alexandra Melo
Adi Risbud
Joshua Ng
2017
Kailey Tindle
Daniel Shpigel
Monica McGrath
Allison David
Taylor Chiang
Denis Huang
Rhea Braun
Ryan Li
Yash Huilgol
Nick Rankin