Typically, clarity is thought to emerge from chaos. But as we explore these conditions more deeply, we are inspired by their entangled nature, each acting as provocateurs in their own unique ways. The relationship can be better understood as symbiotic: The more chaos we embrace, the more clarity we can discover.
TEDMED 2018 recognizes and embraces the power of Chaos+Clarity in advancing science, global public health, and medical innovation across a wide range of topics. Together, we’ll explore new developments in neuroprosthetics; the global epidemic of chronic disease; how to design our way to better health outcomes; the relationship between immigration and health; the science of aging; social isolation in the age of social media; gender equity and harassment in science and medicine; the trauma of violence and mass casualty; the power of resilience; and much more.
Kathleen O’Donnell, Wyss Institute Industrial Designer, is a TEDMED 2018 featured speaker. She combines backgrounds in biomedical engineering and industrial design to drive development of engineering solutions for complex user scenarios. Her passion for infusing principles of human factors and user research into all stages of the development process for medical devices has driven her work as the program lead developing medical exosuits at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University. One of The University Network’s “Women ‘Killin’ It’ In Robotics,” Kathleen has been recognized for her team’s efforts to translate robotic exosuit technology to the clinic. The exosuit is designed to provide mechanical assistance embedded textile garments to improve walking function for patients recovering from stroke. In collaboration with ReWalk Robotics, Kathleen and her team are currently working to mass-produce the exosuit design for use in physical therapy clinics.
