Unseen Insights 2024: Opening new perspectives for innovation in healthcare
On November 19, we gathered our partners at the EPFL+ECAL Lab, for our annual event. Can we, together, at Unseen Insights have an impact on the world? The previous edition of the EPFL+ECAL Lab annual event led to an initiative for Peace at the leading international conference on computer graphics and interactive techniques. This year, it discussed how design research can trigger sustainable impact in healthcare innovation using a very concrete example: a new perspective to treat tinnitus, a condition that affects millions of people.
The transition from technological performance to widespread adoption by all stakeholders involved in new therapies and protocols is a critical challenge. During the Unseen Insights discussion, Pr Dr Stefan Weber showcased the long path from ideas to implementation in the medical world. As CEO of Cascination, he’s known for his pioneering work in translational aspects of image guided surgery and robotic surgical solutions, which enables micro-invasive surgery with high precision. Reaching impact is about science, technology and business, but must also adapt to well-established practices, habits and cultures.
Dr Iveth Gonzalez, leading the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Programme at Terre des Hommes, extended the scope of impact in vulnerable environments. Current programmes use digital technologies in Africa and Asia to support pregnant woman and mothers with young children. Solutions emerge from collaborations with local people, allowing original solutions that resonate with specific contexts to be developed. Results from these programmes can also provide unexpected inspirations for our approach to care in the Global North.
The human involvement in innovation is at the core of the design research methodology developed over the last 10 years by the EPFL+ECAL Lab. Its experiences and results have established a strong focus on healthcare and wellbeing, as announced during the event. And as UNSEEN INSIGHTS 2024 came just after a conference on Neurofeedback in Heidelberg, where the Lab had three academic contributions, it marked the perfect time to unveil the lab’s design research contribution to a national project on developing a new therapy for tinnitus. In collaboration with Zurich University Hospital, the University of Zurich, the University of Fribourg, and Bern University of Applied Sciences, this ambitious initiative, which should be tested in clinical settings in 2025, aims to develop a treatment solution by visualising brain activity. Beyond this, the lab’s focus on healthcare is expanding with new projects starting on medical imaging, diagnosis and pain management.
After the different talks, the Sylvie Rusconi Foundation Award 2024 for emerging talents in design research was unveiled and the guests could discover the latest installations and research works led by the EPFL+ECAL Lab.
During the opening discussion on “Technological innovation and health: how can we move from scientific performance to adoption with all stakeholders?”, the following experts shared their insights.
Pr Dr Stefan Weber. The Journey from Lab to Clinical Adoption.
Founder and CEO of CAScination, Stefan Weber is known for his pioneering work in translational aspects of image guided surgery and robotic surgical solutions, which enables micro-invasive surgery with high precision. He also holds the Chair of Image Guided Therapies at the University of Bern.
Dr Iveth Gonzalez. Developing Health Innovations with End-Users in Multicultural Environments.
Iveth Gonzalez has a background as medical doctor, researcher and in health management. She leads the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Programme at Terre des Hommes, where innovative digital solutions are developed with end-users in Asia and Africa to reach adoption and effectiveness in diverse cultural contexts.
Delphine Ribes. Transdisciplinarity: New Methodologies to Bridge the Gaps in Health.
Leading the creative coding team and the health track at EPFL+ECAL Lab, Delphine Ribes brings together medical, engineering and design disciplines, to foster adoption of disruptive solutions.
Emily Groves. Design Research in Health: Combining Artistic Skills, Human Observation and Effective Implementation.
Emily Groves is a senior designer at the EPFL+ECAL Lab, with a background in human and social science, information experience design and inclusive design. Her work in several health projects emphasizes how to design in close collaboration with patients.
