In late 2020, Colleges of the Fenway was awarded a Davis Educational Foundation Grant in the amount of $29,500 for the development of a joint academic program between the COF schools focused on linking design thinking and the future of healthcare.
The program will take advantage of the unique strengths of each of the COF institutions, as well as our location in the Longwood Medical Area while bringing together students across multiple disciplines (Humanities, Design, Engineering, Sciences, etc.) to examine the future of healthcare challenges with a focus on the human perspective. We recognize that there is great value in approaching systems and challenges in healthcare using a multidisciplinary approach and believe that applying a design thinking perspective will provide students with skills they can apply in many settings. We seek to broaden the number of students outside of the sciences bringing their skills to solving problems and challenges within the healthcare industry. Design thinking is solution-focused and action-oriented towards creating better customer experiences and value. This approach tackles complex problems from multiple angles. Healthcare, the second largest industry in Massachusetts, faces many complex challenges while being pivotal to the future of society.
This grant will enable us to develop and implement a framework for the development of additional joint academic programs of study across our member institutions at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. In this sense, the framework will further serve to increase the number of collaborations while supporting the enrollment and retention of students.
Faculty Involved:
Lisa Stepanski (Emmanuel College); Judith Anderson, Martha Rettig, Lars Fischer (MassArt); Robin Harvan, Devan Hawkins (MCPHS University); Shirong Luo (Simmons University); Lynette Panarelli, Joseph Martel-Foley (Wentworth Institute of Technology)
For more information on the award or this new program, contact Allison O’Connor: aoconnor@colleges-fenway.org