I’m honoring the contributions of my community colleagues over the years by pulling out some of their best comments and quotes. Julia M. Brennan, in response to Textiles are technology (2015): The intersection of woven dyed hand made textiles and fast evolving technologies (high tech fabric production as well as IT communications) today is a […]
maker movement
Creating space for innovation
It seems like forever-ago that I delivered this keynote at Stanford Medicine X. Innovators are facing even more significant challenges than I could have imagined back in September 2016. And yet I still believe we live in a time of abundant opportunity to connect with people who want to work toward a participatory, innovative future […]
We need a whole-community response in health and health care
At no other time in history have we been able to communicate across the world, in an instant, with anyone and everyone who has knowledge and experience to share. Never has it been so easy to solve problems together. When it comes to your health, your community may be your superpower.
DIY innovation in the hospital
My grandfather, Frank H.J. Figge, was a cancer researcher who faced shortages during World War II and had to improvise to keep his lab going. When he ran short of quartz lenses he remembered hearing that plastic also transmits ultraviolet rays and filled synthetic sausage casings with water to create a perfect — much cheaper — substitute. Nurses have […]
Nurses in the Smithsonian spotlight
The people best suited to solve a problem are often those experiencing it. Experimentation — and documentation — should be part of everyone’s toolbox, no matter where you sit in an organization or hierarchy. Prototypes should be shared, not hidden away. Early feedback is golden. Everyone is a potential innovator. I’m excited to explore these themes and more with Tiffany […]
Textiles are technology
I hung a quilt in my office yesterday. It was not sewn by any of my ancestors, but a great-great-aunt did have the good taste (and fortune) to buy it. The quilt not only brightens the room, but also brings a feminine touch to what is, yes, the office of the first woman to be Chief Technology […]
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