The Manchee Foundation has donated more than $500,000 to support OCAD University’s new Design for Health graduate program. The generous gift comes as the university prepares to deliver game-changing education and research to dramatically improve design practices related to health care environments, medical technologies and public health policy and communications.
The donation of $550,000 will allow the new scholarship to be endowed in perpetuity. Each year, starting in the 2016/17 academic year, the two top applicants will receive Manchee scholarships.
“Our family is pleased to support this innovative program with scholarships that will permit the most promising students to further their studies in the field of health care design,” said Jane Manchee. “The Manchee Foundation was created by our parents, Charles P. and D. Jeanne Manchee, to further education in the arts, design and health care fields. We are very proud to support this program with a lasting legacy of their generosity.”
The program will be offered as a full-time, two-year course of study leading to a Master’s of Design (MDes) in Design for Health. It will be structured to appeal to working professionals through a combination of online and integrated seminar and studio formats.
The two-year Master of Design (MDes) program will enroll up to 10 students in the inaugural 2016/2017 academic year, with another 10 students in 2017/2018.
“We are grateful to the Manchee Foundation for this generous gift to graduate students entering the ground-breaking new Design for Health program,” said Dr. Sara Diamond, president and vice-chancellor, OCAD University. “Designers are creative thinkers and problem-solvers who can address the multiple challenges in the health care system from a unique perspective.”
Graduates of the MDes in Design for Health will be well-positioned to play leadership roles in research, health environment design, health product/device development, health media, and communication and technologies — in the private, government and non-profit sectors. Graduates will also be prepared to pursue further study at the PhD level.
The interdisciplinary Design for Health program has four main themes delivered primarily through studio-based learning:
Health context: Develop domain knowledge to public health, health sciences, communication and technology.
Research and application: Identify, design, conduct and apply research methodologies in health-care environments.
Design and innovation: Create new, ethical and sustainable solutions to solve health-sector problems.
Proficiency and leadership within interdisciplinary collaborations: Be embedded in interdisciplinary teams of researchers, health-service providers and designers to develop design solutions and communicate outcomes.