Currents of Care Summit

CONTEXT

Participatory design in healthcare is evolving rapidly, yet practitioners, researchers, and educators working across health and design disciplines rarely have dedicated space to reflect critically on their practice, share tools, and build the relationships needed to drive meaningful systems change. 

In 2026, DHRIL cohosted Currents of Care: A Participatory Design for Health Summit — a four-day gathering held in Banff, Alberta with Emily Carr Health Design Studio, OCAD University and the University of Waterloo. The summit brought together internationally recognized co-design leaders, researchers, designers, educators, and practitioners to explore new approaches for collaboration, care, and creativity in health systems change.

The summit used a participatory and collaborative engagement model emphasizing reflection, dialogue, co-creation, and knowledge exchange.

All summit materials were designed by Emily Carr University RA Kala Padmashmali and University of Alberta Bachelor of Design student Anastasia Sukach.

SESSIONS ACROSS THE 4 DAYS INCLUDED

DAY 1 - RAPIDS & CONFLUENCE

• Explored the current landscape, tensions, and opportunities within participatory design and health through river-themed metaphors, facilitated by Ginetta Salvalaggio (University of Alberta) and Kate Sellen (University of Waterloo), with a welcome from Gillian Harvey (University of Alberta) and Caylee Raber (Emily Carr University).

DAY 2 - CREATIVITY & CREATIVE PRACTICES

• A full-day workshop exploring the role of creativity and making in participatory health research through collaborative activities, speculative futures exercises, and participant-led show-and-share sessions. Facilitated and planned by Joe Langley, Aaron Davis, Niki Wallace, Ursula Ankeny, and Rachael Hughson-Gill.

DAY 3 - PRACTICING TRAUMA REALISM

• Facilitated by KA McKercher (Beyond Sticky Notes) and explored trauma-informed and trauma-realist approaches to participatory practice through interactive activities and critical discussions focused on accountability and repair within co-design processes.

DAY 4 - REFLECTION & CURRENTS

• Brought the summit to a close with collective reflection on emerging practices, future directions, opportunities for collaboration, and shared scholarly outputs and research initiatives. This session was facilitated by Gillian Harvey and Caylee Raber.

OUTPUTS FROM THE SUMMIT INCLUDE:

• Case-study posters by attendees in the form of a conference proceedings document.

• A paper summarizing reflections on participatory design practice.

• Future opportunities for dialogue and collaboration

This project builds on previous collaborative work between DHRIL, OCAD, the University of Alberta, and Sheffield Hallam University — including the Recovery and Renewal of Participation in Healthcare Change project. This project explored how co-design practices in health adapted during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic with the goal of strengthening equitable participation and building resilience in co-design practice.