LMP 2301Y Projects in Translational Research – Translational Research Program (TRP)

LMP 2301Y: Projects in Translational Research

Type: Core

Credit: 1.0 FCE

Overview

This is a core course and counts as 1.0 FCE.

Learning outcomes

This course is designed to provide students with the foundations necessary for understanding and applying the Translational Thinking Framework and Human-Centred Design to medical problems. The learning objectives are:

To practice research methods for understanding user needs and practices.
To interpret raw data and create design artifacts (e.g., personas, scenarios).
To brainstorm, sketch, and design prototypes that address real user problems.
To evaluate prototypes (one’s and others’) for usability, learnability, and usefulness.
To work in multidisciplinary design teams.

Description

This course is intended to provide students with the necessary tools and skills to identify, develop and execute a translational research project. The class is structured following an experiential learning approach guided by the Translational Thinking Framework that helps students sample necessary skills and apply their understanding to a real-world community partner project with a healthcare provider. In this course, students learn about methods of Translational Thinking and Human Centred Design to explore a problem space and the people within that space, identifying real needs, system constraints and requirements, and ultimately design solutions that incorporate all those components. Designs are iterated from initial concepts by gathering feedback and evaluating prototypes with partners input throughout the course. The course project culminates with the development of an intervention that addresses the identified problem. Final project presentations for the partner stakeholders will take place at the end of the course.

Enrollment

These are the mandatory classes you must take to complete the program. You will automatically be enrolled in these courses and they will be preloaded to your ACORN (UofT’s learning system) before the given semester.

Teaching team

Dr. Joseph Ferenbok

Driven to improve patient care, Prof. Ferenbok catapults projects forward with passion, wisdom, and a contagious chuckle. He is an Associate Director of the Health Innovation Hub, a Faculty of Medicine initiative intended to connect, align, serve, and facilitate the translation, innovation, and commercialization of ‘Health Matters’. Here at the TRP, Prof. Ferenbok is our inspirational Founder and Program Director. He is also a Course Director for Foundations in TR and for Methods in Practices and Contexts, and the Instructor for the Translational Thinking module.