معرفی
Gemma Wheeler holds the position of Design Researcher at Lab4Living, an interdisciplinary research cluster at Sheffield Hallam University, focusing on Design-led approaches in health and wellbeing. Her work emphasizes creative, empathic methods to foster collaboration between patients, families, and healthcare professionals. She completed a PhD between the Glasgow School of Art and the Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries Unit (funded by the AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award) and returned to Sheffield Hallam University in 2017.
Her education includes an integrated masters degree in Product Design from Sheffield Hallam University (2013). She has extensive experience in Participatory Design within complex healthcare settings and specializes in co-design workshops to address unmet health needs, develop healthcare products/services, and facilitate knowledge mobilization across diverse stakeholders.
Key research interests include:
- Creative co-design methods as bridges between clinical practice and patient perspectives
- Politics and power dynamics in multi-stakeholder healthcare partnerships
- Adaptive design processes sensitive to community needs
- Translation of design research into real-world healthcare solutions
Her current role involves bid writing, data analysis, and graphic design support for healthcare initiatives. She serves as the main point of contact for the Starworks Network's Proof of Concept projects, a Department of Health-funded initiative addressing children's prosthetic needs, and supports Devices for Dignity, an NIHR-funded MedTech Cooperative.
Grant-related activities include securing further NIHR funding for Starworks and managing collaborative projects across academia, industry, and clinical sectors.
Labs/Teams: Lab4Living (Sheffield Hallam University), Devices for Dignity (NIHR MedTech Co-operative at Royal Hallamshire Hospital), and Starworks Network leadership.
