About Us
Toronto Metropolitan University's Healthcare User Experience (HUE) Lab is a research hub that uses interdisciplinary design principles to make healthcare better for patients, practitioners, and caregivers. The HUE Lab approaches design challenges using collaborative methodologies, and creative knowledge mobilisation to connect faculty, students, patients, and medical professionals. In a dynamic healthcare environment, the HUE Lab works with community partners to solve healthcare problems with unique and effective solutions
Our Mission
Make healthcare better for practitioners and patients.
Our Vision
Redesigning the future of healthcare.
Transforming Medical Education
Toronto Metropolitan University's Medical School is revolutionizing medical education through its collaboration with The Healthcare User Experience Lab. This collaboration integrates design thinking, user experience, and iterative design into the curriculum. The HUE Lab provides students with the opportunity to rethink medicine in real time and to approach healthcare with empathy and creativity.
Our “Design Jam” model encourages interdisciplinary collaboration and emphasizes design as an iterative process involving the end user. Our lab will shape medical students who are clinicians, creators, and innovators with an eye to improving patient-centered care.
CURRENT FUNDED PROJECTS:
“Creativity and Critical Care” Surgical Bra Redesign - redesigning the post-mastectomy surgical garment - partnership with Dr. Jory Simpson of St. Michael's Hospital and TMU Fashion student Jo-Ann Harris (Prototype 2 phase)
“HUE @ Osler” Hallway Medicine - making the ER waiting room chairs ergonomic, mobile and fitted with remote monitoring capabilities - partnership with Dr. Prashant Phalpher of Brampton Civic Hospital and Dr. Jessica Mudry of the HUE Lab. Pending funding from the New Frontiers of Research Fund - Exploration (Scoping review phase)
“Planetary Health” Reimagining Medical Waste - reducing through reimagining the plastic waste produced by the hospital - partnership TMU Creative School students, Dr. Tanya White, Dr. Jessica Mudry, Kingston University London, and St. Michael's Hospital.
“The Future of Equitable Healthcare” Trust and Chatbots in the Healthcare Setting - using cultural concordance and AI capabilities to streamline patient information intake in family medicine - partnership with Dr. Linying Dong TMU's Ted Rogers School of Management, Dr. Alex Mariakakis of Computer Science, University of Toronto, and Dr. Noah Crampton, Family Medicine, University of Toronto. (REB approval phase)
“Media and Medicine” Disrupting the Canadian Patient-Specialist Referral Process - exploring whether various media modalities: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, might affect patient-engagement and transform the referral process - partnership with Dr. Gianluigi Bisleri of St. Michael’s hospital and MITACS. (Scoping review completed)
“Community and Communication” Vax & Snax - redefining healthcare spaces: outdoor vaccination clinic, catering training and community engagement - partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada, Sherbourne Health, St James Town Community Corner, St. James Town Catering Collective and HUE Lab. (Administered 200 vaccines)
“Textile Computing in the ER” Smart Wristband - Reduced anxiety and improved patient experience during long ER wait times through the implementation of wearable remote-monitoring devices - partnership with Dr. Prashant Phalpher of Brampton Civic Hospital, Dr. Jessica Mudry of The HUE Lab, Myant Inc., and Dr. Richard Lachman of TMU. Pending ORF-RE funding.
“Aging in Place: How to become Old, Better” Aging and AI - How to make aging better through a medical humanities approach to robotics and AI-based assistive technologies - partnership with Dr. Frauke Zeller of Edinburgh Napier University, Dr. Jessica Mudry of The HUE Lab, Prof. Rasha Abdel Rahman of Humboldt University Berlin, Dr. Lauren Dwyer of The Southern Alberta Institute for Technology, Dr. Emilia Sobolewska Edinburgh Napier University, Dr. Inge Panneels of Edinburgh Napier University, and Dr. Milena Head of McMaster University,
“HUE @ Osler” Smart Seat - making the ER waiting room chairs ergonomic, mobile and fitted with remote monitoring capabilities - partnership with Dr. Prashant Phalpher of Brampton Civic Hospital, Dr. Jessica Mudry of the HUE Lab, Dr. Mohammad Abdoli of TMU’s School of Occupational Health, and Jonathon Anderson of TMU’s School of Interior Design. (Scoping review phase)