What I Do
I am the Robert P. Kelch, MD Professor of Pediatrics at Michigan Medicine. I am a Pediatric Endocrinologist and clinical/health outcomes researcher and my work focuses on the creation of learning health systems. I serve as Ambulatory Clinical Chief of Pediatric Medical Specialties, Associate Chief Medical Information Officer for Pediatric Research, and Associate Chair of Health Metrics and Learning Health Systems for the Department of Pediatrics. Through these roles I spend a lot of time redesigning data workflows in Epic, and visualizing and making sense of data using tools like Tableau. I have over 150 peer-reviewed publications, have served as a Principal Investigator on multiple NIH grants, spent time as a visiting scholar at the former Google Life Sciences, and serve on the medical advisory board for GoodRx. My work in healthcare involves an extensive range projects and approaches, but the short version is:
I create learning health systems using the methods of quality improvement, clinical informatics, and patient-centered participatory design.
I collaborate with human computing interaction and machine learning/artificial intelligence experts to understand how data can be used to solve real world healthcare problems.
I study online health communities and patient innovation, and my work supports the integration of the Maker Movement and DIY design into healthcare.
For the long version, you can find my CV here. If you share my passions or want to hear my thoughts on the intersection of design and healthcare innovation, please subscribe to my newsletter!
Design
How do I integrate design into my work as a physician and researcher? My approach embraces systems design using the framework of learning health systems; participatory design to support a patient-centered model of healthcare research and clinical care delivery; and metadesign to support the integration of the "Maker Movement" in healthcare.
Learn more about the Maker Movement, a technology-focused do-it-yourself (DIY) movement that emphasizes “learning by doing” and empowers individuals to become makers or creators of physical solutions to health problems in this viewpoint. You can also watch my TEDx Detroit Talk "Participatory Design and the Making of Health" and check out our work at HealthDesignBy.Us.
I spend a lot of time now “designing” data for health, whether it’s using data visualization tools like Tableau to support greater insights from data, and working with families and patients with diabetes to help them engage with their own personal health data. I was honored to share my thoughts about the future of design in the Fast Company Innovation by Design 2021 issue alongside many other leaders whom I admire!
An interview with Kuow by NPR
An interview by Proto Magazine
Writing
I publish academic papers and I blog about design, healthcare, and innovation. Check out my post in Fast Company Design, "Why is Health Care Design So Terrible?" and a recent post about the design of the Epipen: The Role of Metaphor in Design which was featured in a Propublica piece about design. Finally, here is an academic publication about a design workshop we conducted that just came out through the fantastic collaboration of colleagues from Fast Forward Medical Innovation: “A Patient-Centered Design Thinking Workshop to Improve Patient-Provider Communication in Cardiovascular Medicine”.
Research
I am a pediatric translational researcher with dual training in Pediatric Endocrinology and Pediatric Health Services Research and a Master in Public Health. I am the Robert P. Kelch Research Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Michigan Medical School and I hold a joint appointment at the UM School of Public Health. My research agenda focuses on the creation of Learning Health Systems for pediatric obesity and diabetes, which includes electronic health record workflow redesign, leveraging health IT data, quality improvement, and research innovation. Link to my research page and my CV to learn more about my research and current projects.
Speaking
I speak at design and innovation conferences (TedX Detroit, Cusp Conference, Stanford Medicine X), healthcare/academic centers (Kaiser Permanente Care Management Institute, Brown, Vanderbilt, Harvard, Stanford), federal agencies (Food and Drug Administration) and regional, national, and international healthcare conferences (Detroit Healthcare Leaders Forum, American Diabetes Association, American Association of Diabetes Educators, Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting, World Diabetes Congress) and at internal industry events at companies like Epic. See examples and videos of my talks here.
Social Media
I spend time as a researcher and healthcare professional on social media. I advocate for physicians and other healthcare professionals to be connected online, but I also caution providers need to be careful with these digital tools and their digital identity.
Check out my Digital Citizenship Guide for more of my ideas on how to incorporate social media as a tool for healthcare.