Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0624-7912

Date of Award

Fall 12-16-2024

Degree Type

Capstone Project

Degree Name

Master of Public Health (MPH)

Department

Public Health

First Advisor

Kimberley Freire, PhD

Second Advisor

Anne Marie Schipani-McLaughlin, PhD

Abstract

Background - This study explores the evolving role of Design Innovation (DI) practices in research funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. DI includes human-centered design (HCD), design thinking (DT), co-design (CD), and user-centered design (UCD), terms often used interchangeably. DI methods have been shown to enhance intervention acceptability and adherence by aligning public health intervention designs with the unique needs of targeted populations. As public health increasingly adopts community-centered approaches, the demand for research methods that prioritize consumer perspectives in intervention design has grown. Digital health technologies and higher expectations from informed public health stakeholders have further underscored the need for user-centered approaches, especially in clinical and behavioral interventions. Despite their advantages, DI practices are not yet widely or consistently integrated into public health education, leading to challenges with terminology, limited cross-disciplinary application, and few standardized methods for DI evaluation.

Methods - The primary aim of this study is to examine how DI terms and approaches are applied in NIH-funded grant proposals by analyzing six fiscal years (2018-2023) of NIH RePORTER data, which captures all newly funded NIH and AHRQ grants. The author examined trends in DI usage, the funding patterns of various NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs), and key characteristics of funded projects that employ DI practices.

Results - The findings indicate a marked increase in the adoption of DI practices within NIH-funded proposals, with a 3-fold increase from 0.36% to 1.19% of the 16,000 newly funded proposals each year from 2018 to 2023. UCD was the most frequently used DI term, although HCD and CD increased. Seven institutes and Centers (ICs) consistently funded 62% of proposals that included DI practices, with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) emerging as leaders in DI funding. The most common application for DI was for developing digital interventions, and 60% of proposal writers demonstrated a strong understanding of DI terminology.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.57709/38075727

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