Human Centered Design Associate - The University of Chicago Medicine

Job Description

 Be a part of a world-class academic healthcare system, UChicago Medicine a as Human Centered Design Associate.

This position will be a two-year appointment to develop a human centered design (HCD) core for HDSI at the University of Chicago Medicine, to be leveraged by clinical and operational leaders as well as scholars to help solve high priority healthcare delivery challenges through the application of a variety of design methods. Health system-relevant design methods include contextual inquiry, co-design, service design and rapid prototyping and piloting. Individuals with knowledge, interest, and experience in healthcare processes and systems (co)design, healthcare communication and education, transitions of care, direct observation, interviewing and surveying, healthcare organization design, health equity, population health and applied implementation science are encouraged to apply. Individuals with diverse models for exploration and solution generation, such as contextual inquiry, co-design, experience design and rapid prototyping and pilot testing.

This position will support practice improvement and healthcare delivery science across the healthcare system. The position will require collaboration with a wide range of clinician types, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and social workers, as well as administrators, scholars, information technologists, equipment/device vendors, patients and caregivers, and other stakeholders engaged in the design and implementation of innovative clinical processes and systems of care.

The ideal candidate will have a track record to work both independently and collaboratively with excellent interpersonal, communication, and mentoring skills, with an interest in publishing and making presentations. This position would be ideal for an early to mid-stage designer with ability to set creative and strategic direction across a variety of challenges and who is excited to develop capacity for design services and build a program at a world-renowned academic healthcare system. The position will be mentored by a professor at Illinois Technology’s Institute of Design.

Essential Job Functions: 

The human centered designer should be prepared to work with a broad team of stakeholders on a range of improvement and research initiatives in diverse clinical and community settings and disciplines, including:

• Partnering with physicians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, health system leadership, community leaders, scholars, information technologists, equipment/device vendors
• Interacting with patients and caregivers
• Collaborating with other internal and external stakeholders engaged in the design and implementation of innovative clinical processes, decision making and systems of care
• Participating in hospital-related information technology implementation initiatives and simulation
• Evaluating safety events including medication errors and service design concerns
• Reviewing new robotics efforts/human-automation interactions
• Analyzing clinical teamwork and performance processes including communication in complex domains
• Participating in clinical facility design
• Evaluating and designing communication and educational materials for patients and caregivers
• Broadening the understanding and knowledge across the health system on the role of a designer

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master’s degree in design or a related field (e.g., systems engineering, sociotechnical systems design, psychology, computer science).
• Excellent problem-solving skills.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills with all levels of staff, including physicians and health system leadership.
• Possess a minimum 2 years’ experience in a healthcare clinical setting.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively as part of a team.
• Ability to manage, interpret, and present data.
• Ability to support research projects executed in a healthcare environment.
• Understanding of some regulatory, accrediting and external reporting requirements as applicable to healthcare systems.
• Must be self-motivated: given appropriate direction for goals, must be able to work independently in a sometimes ambiguous and changing environment.

Position Details: 

• Job Type/FTE: Full-Time 1.0 FTE
• Shift: Day
• Work Location: Hyde Park
• Unit/Department: Philanthropy
• CBA Code: Non-Union