Elizabeth Johansen

Elizabeth Johansen is a Senior Lecturer in Design and Biomedical Engineering at Olin. She founded Spark Health Design, an international initiative developing accessible medical technologies for global health. Her expertise spans product design, usability engineering, and medical device innovation, with prior leadership roles at organizations like IDEO and Design that Matters.

She holds a B.S. Engineering from Harvey Mudd College.

Her research focuses on human-centered design to improve health outcomes in underserved regions. Key interests include medical devices, digital health tools, diagnostics, and democratizing healthcare access. She emphasizes practical, field-tested solutions for low-resource environments.

Her scholarly work consistently addresses human factors in global health technology, with publications exploring affordable device design, usability frameworks, and case studies in diagnostics. Trends highlight interdisciplinary approaches to address resource constraints.

Awards and honors:

• Social Entrepreneur Award (SOCAP)
• 7 design awards for Firefly Newborn Phototherapy (including IDEA, Edison)
• National Design Award, Cooper Hewitt

At Olin, she co-leads the Affordable Design and Entrepreneurship program, contributing to projects like the Otter Newborn Warmer and infant hearing screening with Solar Ear. No specific grants mentioned.

She directs Spark Health Design and previously held positions at Vaxess Technologies, Diagnostics For All, Design that Matters (director), and IDEO (project lead). Her teams developed impactful products like Firefly Phototherapy and Eli Lilly Kwikpen.