Medical Entrepreneurship Club Launches Design Thinking Workshop

By Office of the President | May 23, 2024

In April, the Medical Entrepreneurship Club at Downstate held its first innovation workshop, spearheaded by medical student Shreya Jain and the club’s E-Board—the workshop aimed to familiarize students with utilizing cutting-edge medical technologies to tackle healthcare challenges.

Shreya, a fourth-year student and analyst at Quintuple Aim Solutions, is also a co-founder of SPARK Self-Esteem, a non-profit organization conducting personal development workshops for students from kindergarten to college in New York City schools. The workshop kicked off with a “think and share” wall, aiming to shift participants’ mindsets towards a solutions-oriented design-thinking approach, emphasizing empathy, problem definition, brainstorming, and prototyping.

Students were divided into groups to develop patient-centered innovations based on various “high needs” patient profiles and typical healthcare interactions. Armed with craft materials, they crafted Solution Boards, following the core design thinking stages: empathizing, defining challenges, brainstorming solutions, prototyping, and testing concepts with peers.

Prototypes included an integrated mobile app for food-insecure patients, a “Nurse Bot” aiding elderly patients, and inventive solutions for immigrant patients accessing medications. The workshop underscored the transformative potential of design thinking in healthcare, nurturing ongoing innovation and empowering students to devise tailored solutions.

I am proud of the leadership of our students and their unique insight into making healthcare innovation a priority. Congratulations, Shreya and Team E-Board, on these thought-provoking solutions.