Design will be a crucial aspect of how I approach care for my patients and challenge the current healthcare system. Its values – empathy, respect, and dignity – are all qualities I hope to embody as a future physician-designer.
Meet Amanda Wu, third-year medical student and designer:
The science of medicine has advanced health care exponentially, but along the way, the art of medicine has not seen the same growth. It is clear in the disparities that exist, there is a mismatch between patient experiences and standards of care. Improving the current state of health care and wellness will require emphasis on human-centered design.
The future role of a physician needs to evolve to meet this demand. We need to put our patients first instead of siloed approaches that dictate who gets to have a say in what care looks like and sticking with outdated, patriarchal attitudes of the role of doctors.
Design will be a crucial aspect of how I approach care for my patients and challenge the current healthcare system. Its values emphasize empathy, respect, and dignity, which are all qualities I hope to embody as a future physician-designer.
Now more than ever it is critical to address the systemic problems and violence against minorities – communities outside of white dominant culture – and this conversation cannot be left out in the field of design in health. Engaging people from diverse backgrounds in the world of design in health is essential for both design and medical communities to see real change.
I am already inspired by my own classmates this year who have brought valuable perspectives to the table. I want to share two resources I have found helpful in my own journey in learning, first the book by Resmaa Menakem, My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies, and a video about Anti-Asian hate by Eugene Lee Yang.