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University of Nebraska Medical Center

Get Creative at the Design Hub Open House

Monochromatic blue background with circular shapes and textures

Join McGoogan Library staff and UNMC design thinking coaches for the Design Hub open house on Wednesday, September 18 from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. in the library (WHM, Level 6). Attendees will have an opportunity to tour the space, participate in demos and grab a snack.  

For those who cannot attend in person, a virtual open house will be held from 1:00–2:00 p.m. via Zoom that day as well. Register to receive the Zoom link.

Both in-person and virtual attendees will have a chance to win one of four “creative mindset” door prizes.

Four door prizes—three LEGO kits and one Kickstart Creativity prompt cards—on a table in the Design Hub in front of a faux green vine backdrop that says Innovation Grows Here!

Why attend the open house? 

  • Meet design thinking coaches and library staff associated with the Design Hub 
  • Learn how you and your team can use the Design Hub 
  • Connect with colleagues across the NU system who are also interested in design thinking 

About the Design Hub 

The Design Hub is aimed at fostering creativity, innovation and problem-solving among students, faculty and staff. The hub, located on Level 6 of the McGoogan Health Sciences Library, is designed to promote collaboration across disciplines in health care and medical research, encouraging users to tackle complex challenges with a fresh perspective. 

“The Design Hub represents a new frontier in how we approach solving problems in health care,” said Dr. Dele Davies, UNMC Interim Chancellor. “By equipping our community with the tools and environment needed for design thinking, we hope to inspire breakthrough solutions that will improve individual and system performance and transform lives.” 

The Design Hub features flexible workspaces, prototyping tools and supplies, and interactive digital platforms that allow for brainstorming and rapid development of solutions. The hub is envisioned as collaboration space for interdisciplinary projects, where medical professionals, students and researchers can come together with designers and engineers to improve patient care, health care delivery, and medical education.  

The space is available to be used independently by individuals or small groups or with a trained design thinking facilitator. Guides and templates for design thinking activities are available and can be used as part of a larger project or simply to explore new solutions and points of view. The UNMC community may use the Design Hub anytime the room is free or by reservation via the library website. 

The Design Hub is funded in part by an NU Collaboration Initiative Grant awarded for 2023-2025. Led by Tyler Scherr, PhD, of UNeMed, the NU Health x Design grant team includes faculty and staff from UNO, UNL and UNMC. Planning and development of the Design Hub was led by UNMC faculty and staff:  

  • Emily Glenn, MSLS, McGoogan Health Sciences Library 
  • Brian Maass, MLIS, McGoogan Health Sciences Library 
  • Katherine Bravo, PhD, College of Nursing 
  • T.J. Welniak, MD, College of Medicine, Dept. of Emergency Medicine 
  • Bethany Lownes, PhD, College of Medicine, Dept. of Neurological Sciences  
  • Luther Mardock, MAED, Academic Affairs 

Since receiving funding in 2023, the NU Health x Design team has planned and facilitated design thinking sprints with interprofessional teams of students from UNL College Engineering, UNO Biomechanics Lab, and UNMC. The design teams have worked on real-world clinical issues presented by UNMC faculty and staff, including Dr. John Windle, Center for Intelligent Health Care and Dr. Jason Johanning, College of Medicine, Dept. of Vascular Surgery. One solution, a treadmill-based device developed by students for post-surgical ambulation for vascular surgery patients, has been prototyped by the UNO Sports Medicine and Biomechanics Research Lab and is currently part of a customer discovery project for NSF’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps). 

Inaugural International Health Design Thinking Conference 

The inaugural International Health Design Thinking Conference will be held at the UNMC campus in Omaha October 24-26.  

Join fellow thought leaders, industry experts and change-makers who share your passion for a dynamic and inclusive academic society dedicated to the advancement of design thinking in health care practice, education and scholarship. 

The conference is presented by INSIGHT, the International Society of Health Design Thinking, and aims to develop best practices and innovative approaches to address complex challenges in health care and health sciences education using design thinking. 

Learn more about the conference. 

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