Currents of Care

A Participatory Design for Health Summit

Timeline

September 2025 – May 2026

HDL Team

Caylee Raber
Kala Padmashali

Partners

University of Alberta, Design x Health Research Innovation Lab - Gillian Harvey
OCAD University and University of Waterloo, Health Design Studio - Kate Sellen
Sheffield Hallam University, Lab4Living – Joe Langley

Funders

Connection Grant, SSHRC

How might we bring together participatory design practitioners, researchers, educators, and health leaders to engage in meaningful dialogue about the evolving role of Participatory Design in Health?

In 2026, the Health Design Lab collaborated with the University of Alberta, OCAD and University of Waterloo to co-host a four-day event – Currents of Care: A Participatory Design for Health Summit. Held in Banff, Alberta, the summit brought together designers, researchers, educators, and practitioners to reflect on the evolving role of participatory design in healthcare contexts and to explore new approaches for collaboration, care, and creativity in health systems change.  

The summit convened internationally recognized co-design leaders including Dr. Joe Langley (UK) and KA McKercher (New Zealand) alongside participants from across health and design disciplines to engage in workshops, collaborative activities, and critical dialogue with themes including creativity and making, trauma realism, accountability, and systems change in health contexts.

Currents of Care aims to strengthen participatory health design practice by fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and generating practical tools and shared knowledge that support more inclusive and equitable approaches to co-design.

Engagement Approach

This summit used a participatory and collaborative engagement approach that emphasized reflection, dialogue, co-creation, and knowledge exchange. Activities throughout the summit were designed to support relationship-building and critical conversations across disciplines and different professional contexts.

The summit featured the following sessions:

Day 1 — Rapids & Confluence: Current Context of Participatory Design in Health, Health Care and Health Systems
Facilitated by Ginetta Salvalaggio (University of Alberta) and Kate Sellen (OCAD University/University of Waterloo), with welcome remarks from Gillian Harvey (University of Alberta) and Caylee Raber (Emily Carr University). Participants engaged in discussion and collaborative activities exploring the current landscape, tensions, and opportunities within participatory design and health through river theme metaphors.

Day 2 — Creativity & Creative Practices
Facilitated by Joe Langley, Aaron Davis, Niki Wallace, Ursula Ankeny, and Rachael Hughson-Gill. This full-day workshop explored the role of creativity and making in participatory health research through collaborative activities, speculative futures exercises, and participant-led “show and share” sessions featuring creative prompts and tools used in co-design practice.

Day 3 — Practicing Trauma Realism
Facilitated by KA McKercher (Beyond Sticky Notes). Participants explored trauma-informed and trauma-realist approaches to participatory practice through interactive activities and critical discussions focused on accountability and repair within co-design processes.

Day 4 — Reflection & Currents
The closing session focused on collective reflection, emerging practices, and future directions for participatory design in health. Participants discussed opportunities for collaboration, shared scholarly outputs, and future funding and research initiatives.

Additional Summit Activities
The summit also included poster displays and informal discussions, group meals and networking opportunities, optional social dinners, and opportunities for participants to explore Banff and continue interdisciplinary dialogue outside of formal sessions. All summit materials were designed by HDL RA Kala Padmashmali and U of A student Anastasia Sukach.

Knowledge Sharing

Currents of Care supported knowledge sharing through collaborative learning, and dialogue, as well as conversations about how to extend knowledge exchange beyond the event.

Expected outcomes of the summit include:

A set of case-study posters by summit attendees

A paper summarizing reflections on participatory design practice

Future opportunities for dialogue and collaboration

This project emerged from previous collaborative work between HDL, OCAD, U of A and Sheffield Hallam University, including The Recovery and Renewal of Participation in Healthcare Change project which explored how co-design practices in health adapted during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal of strengthening equitable participation and building resilience in co-design practice. More about that work can be read here: Recovery and Renewal of Co-Design Approaches in Health: Protocol for a Realist Synthesis.