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ME 599 – Design for Global Health: Medical device usability testing and iterative design
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Addressing global health challenges through clinical immersion and design
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Clinical Needs Assessment Internship
- At a glance
- 1500Identified needs
- 400Student designers
- 7Field sites
What We've Done
~120 design projects
~150 student clinical immersions
Featured Opportunities More Opportunities →
Understanding the subtle cultural difficulties in the setting of intended use is close to impossible without the full immersion into that setting. Without knowing the true difficulties and how they are managed, other teams who we have had contact with have difficulty meeting the demands of their end users. Other student design teams struggle to fully understand the user requirements and find it hard to achieve them with a completed prototype based off literature before initiating contact with the end user.
Why Participate in the Global Health Design Initiative (GHDI)? Learn More →
Gain valuable professional design skills
Industry looks for prospective employees who have not only mastered skills in the classroom but successfully applied these skills in the field
Engage first-hand in design project in an intercultural setting
Students work directly with stakeholders at international field sites and in Ann Arbor to design and prototype solutions to identified health challenges.
Make an impact
GHDI works collaboratively with partners at UM and at international field sites to define and develop medical device designs appropriate for use in low-resource settings
Pictured
2017 Design for Global Health Students in Flint
This year's team included:
The first student interns and academic program students at the Hamilton Flint partner hospital.
Recent Updates
Meet the 2023 GHDI Leadership Team
In 2023, the Global Health Design Initiative (GHDI) will be directed by Dr. Kathleen Sienko and Dr. Julia Kramer. GHDI is supported by two Graduate Student Program Managers, Grace Burleson and Lucy Spicher. Learn more about the team here.
GHDI Announces the 2023 Academic Program
This summer, GHDI will return to our international field sites! This year, the GHDI program plans to support student cohorts in Ghana and Malawi, conducting clinical needs assessments with themes in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Emergency Medicine, Surgery, Orthopedics, and/or Rehabilitation. Learn more about the program here.