Design Thinking in Translational Research: From Disaster Zones to Designing for Everyday Life Challenges
Course Description:
The purpose of this talk is to introduce a practical design thinking approach to knowledge translation in social science research. Drawing on lessons from applied translational research in academic, clinical, and community settings, the session focuses on how design thinking can move research from theory and data into usable tools, interventions, and real-world impact. The presentation walks through key stages of the research-to-practice process. Examples are drawn from fieldwork conducted in disaster zones, where interventions were first developed under extreme conditions and later adapted and scaled for everyday life challenges. Emphasis is placed on concrete strategies faculty can use to improve relevance, usability, uptake, and scalability of their research outputs while maintaining methodological rigor.
This is a faculty-only event, and lunch is provided for registered faculty. Dr. Aten will present “Spiritually Oriented Clinical and Community Interventions for Mass Trauma” at 2:30 for a student and faculty audience. Contact Erin Smith (esmith@calbaptist.edu) with any questions.
Presenter:
Dr. Jamie Aten (Wheaton College, Spiritual First Aid)
