UArizona Health Sciences Design

From all of us at Health Sciences Design, we wish you a joyous holiday season! Our offices will be closed for the U of A winter closure starting tomorrow. We look forward to seeing our students, colleagues, and community in the new year!

As a graduate student in public health, Jaclyn Larson began taking classes at Health Sciences Design. She was soon inspired by design processes that could address health challenges holistically, taking into consideration their underlying causes and their impact on the lived experiences of individuals and communities. That led Larson to pursue HSD's graduate certificate, Design for Health Innovation, and use her capstone project to focus on a design need that she knew firsthand. When Larson's son was two years old, he experienced a traumatic brain injury from a car accident. Since then, he has relied on an assistive device to aid his day-to-day communication. But that device introduced new challenges that limited his freedom of movement. Determined to find a better solution, Larson embarked on a design journey that could benefit her son — and impact the broader disability community. Learn more in the story below.

HSD is excited to announce another addition to its schedule of classes! HSD 431/531, MILAGRO Collaborative, is being offered again in spring 2025. In the MILAGRO course, students develop interprofessional perspectives across health-related disciplines as they participate in activities with faculty and staff from four of the @uazhealthsciences colleges. In addition to in-class learning, students gain direct experience as they volunteer with Casa Alitas Migrant Welcome Center and other community partners to provide care and services to migrant families. In this dynamically dated, one-unit course, students will meet for six one-hour class sessions, plus additional service-learning experiences in the community. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gacHwJgt

Are you still looking for spring courses to complete your schedule? Health Sciences Design offers unique learning experiences to undergraduate and graduate students from across majors and programs. Courses engage students in problem-solving and innovation through design practices, interdisciplinary approaches, and career training. Spring 2025 enrollment is still open. Visit registrar.arizona.edu for info on how to enroll. HSD SPRING 2025 COURSES HSD 401 and 501 Design for Health Workshop: Addressing Human Health Challenges with Design Thinking HSD 420/520 Healthy Design Practices: From the Makerspace to the Community HSD 598 Design for Health Studio: Capstone Experience HSD 649 Survival Skills and Ethics HSD 496/596 Simulation and Survival: An Immersive Educational Introduction to Threat Assessment, Emergency Planning, and Survival in the Uncertainty of the 21st Century NURS/HSD 250 JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion) Health Equity: Connection, Community & Healing in Urgent Times HSD/SBS 405/505 Adobe Illustrator: Vector-based Editing & Communication HSD/SBS 406/506 Adobe Photoshop: Pixel-based Editing & Communication Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gacHwJgt

HSD is excited to announce a new online, asynchronous course that we're offering in conjunction with the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences and the team at Adobe & Arizona. HSD/SBS 406/506 is an introduction to Adobe Photoshop that explores fundamental pixel-based editing and compositing techniques used for visual communication. In the course, you’ll learn to investigate layers, local and global adjustments, and other non-destructive editing techniques while creating image-based narratives. Instructors guide you through the process of demystifying Photoshop and developing image analysis and manipulation skills. By the end of the course, you should have a critical eye for understanding images used to narrate our visual culture, as well as a grasp of core skills in industry-standard editing techniques, including masking, blending, compositing, and generative AI. The skills acquired can be applied in your personal, academic, and professional endeavors. HSD/SBS 406/506 will be offered in the second seven-week session (March 17 to May 7) and will be open for registration soon!

HSD is excited to announce a new online, asynchronous course that we're offering in conjunction with the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences and the team at Adobe & Arizona. HSD/SBS 405/505 is an introduction to Adobe Illustrator that explores fundamental vector-based editing and compositing techniques used for visual communication. In the course, you’ll learn to investigate layers, local and global adjustments, and other non-destructive editing techniques while creating vector-based illustrations. Instructors guide you through the process of demystifying Illustrator and developing digital graphic analysis and creation skills. By the end of the course, you should have a critical eye for understanding images used to narrate our visual culture, as well as a grasp of core skills in industry-standard vector creation, design principles, digital illustration processes, digital literacy, and generative AI. The skills acquired can be applied in your personal, academic, and professional endeavors. HSD/SBS 405/505 will be offered in the second seven-week session (March 17 to May 7) and will be open for registration soon!

HSD 598 is a studio-based course in which students embark on a semester-long design project. Students may choose to work individually or in a transdisciplinary team on an applied project that is either sponsored, provided, self-generated or initiated in another course. These projects will use design to address complex challenges in human health to produce innovative solutions. This applied project can take many forms (e.g., a research project, designed object, participatory act, film, visualization, application, designed experience/process, educational campaign or curriculum), and projects will be documented in a digital portfolio to be presented at the end of the semester. This course is required for the Design for Health Innovation Graduate Certificate, which is now accepting applications for admission for the forthcoming spring and fall semesters. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gBVPQj_k

Artificial intelligence (AI) and extended reality (XR) offer new experiential possibilities in the worlds of medicine, education, and more. Check out KGUN 9’s coverage of a unique AI and XR research team at the U of A, led by Ash Black, MS, from AI Core; Bryan Carter, PhD, from the Center for Digital Humanities; and Matthew Briggs, MFA, from Health Sciences Design.

Designed for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, this course provides comprehensive information and skills training that will aid in successful “survival” as a graduate student and early-career professional. Students will gain practical skills in professional communication and grantspersonship, as well as teaching and mentoring. They will also learn how to deliver clear, engaging oral presentations and write effectively for both academic and general audiences. Other essential topics include identifying research funding opportunities and preparing strong grant applications, as well as mastering job search strategies, including the essentials of crafting compelling resumes, CVs, and cover letters. In addition, students will learn about ethical issues in research and professional settings, learn how to recognize ethical breaches in a broad range of contexts, and engage in class discussions about how to respond to them. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gacHwJgt

As scientific models predict growing challenges to organized human life in the next 50 years, creative problem-solving and proven survival skills will be necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of individuals and communities. In HSD 496/596, students participate in both seminar-style and hands-on training at the Arizona Simulation Technology & Education Center (ASTEC), building core competencies in emergency preparedness and effective disaster responses. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gacHwJgt