Design for Social Impact: Opportunities for Public Health

This seminar will explore the concept of design thinking for environmental and social impact and describe the implementation of novel and innovative programs in challenged urban communities globally. It will examine the opportunities at the intersection between human-centered design, social innovation and community engagement.

Liz Ogbu is an expert on social and spatial innovation in challenged urban environments globally. From designing shelters for immigrant day laborers in the U.S. to a water and health social enterprise for low-income Kenyans, Liz has a long history of working with communities in need to leverage the power of design to deliver social impact. She is founder and principal of Studio O, a multidisciplinary design and innovation firm, as well as adjunct faculty at UC Berkeley and Stanford’s d.school. Previous roles include first-ever Scholar-in-Residence at the Center for Art & Public Life at California College of the Arts, Innovator-in-Residence through the inaugural IDEO.org Fellowship, and Design Director at the nonprofit Public Architecture. Her projects have been featured in museum exhibitions and received numerous design awards globally. She has also written for and been profiled in publications such as the Boston Globe, Metropolis, Core 77, and the Journal of Urban Design. Her honors include Aspen Ideas Scholar, Next City Vanguard, Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council, and one of Public Interest Design’s Top 100. She earned architecture degrees from Wellesley College and Harvard University.

*Light refreshments will be provided.*

This seminar is FREE and OPEN to the public.

Sponsored by:  School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Prevention Research Center