Jennifer Danko

Danko’s research examines how design can support communication, understanding and decision-making within complex health-care and social systems. Her work often focuses on health-care transitions, particularly the movement from pediatric to adult care for youth with complex medical conditions. Through participatory design and visual communication methods, she explores how design can help patients, caregivers and health-care teams navigate experiences that are often emotionally and informationally overwhelming. A major area of her research involves collaborative health-care projects developed alongside clinicians, researchers, students and community partners. Current initiatives include Bridging Transitions, an interdisciplinary research project focused on supporting caregivers during health-care transitions, and Meet Your Heart, a visual communication resource developed in collaboration with pediatric cardiology teams to help explain congenital heart disease to young patients and families. Her teaching and research are closely connected. Students are frequently involved in community-engaged projects, design research activities and collaborative learning experiences that encourage critical inquiry, experimentation and reflection. Danko is particularly interested in how design education can prepare students to work thoughtfully within interdisciplinary environments while contributing to meaningful social and public outcomes. | Human-centered design, participatory design, co-design, design research, healthcare communication, healthcare transitions, visual communication, knowledge translation, interdisciplinary collaboration, healthcare design, emerging technologies, community-engaged research, information design, pediatric healthcare, design thinking, visual storytelling

Jennifer Danko is Assistant Professor at MacEwan University. Their stated interests include Danko’s research examines how design can support communication, understanding and decision-making within complex health-care and social systems. Her work often focuses on health-care transitions, particularly the movement from pediatric to adult care for youth with complex medical conditions. Through participatory design and visual communication methods, she explores how design can help patients, caregivers and health-care teams navigate experiences that are often emotionally and informationally overwhelming. A major area of her research involves collaborative health-care projects developed alongside clinicians, researchers, students and community partners. Current initiatives include Bridgi. This summary considered all 2 collected sources.