Diagnosing the Trust Gap Through Mixed-Methods Research

I designed and led comprehensive research across 21 hospital sites, triangulating behavioral science insights, clinical outcome data, and ethnographic interviews. Through stakeholder interviews, observational studies, and patient flow analysis, I identified systemic communication breakdowns where disconnected digital, verbal, and print touchpoints sent conflicting signals. My research revealed that care team frustration was creating operational uncertainty, while patients experienced the system as pushing them out rather than supporting their healing journey.
‍
By mapping the intersection of clinical workflows, communication systems, and human psychology, I established a research framework that informed both immediate design interventions and scalable experience strategies.

The real risk wasn’t medical, it was emotional. People didn’t need more instructions. They needed a cohesive, confidence-building experience.

Reimagining Recovery as an Experience, Not a Discharge Step

We reframed recovery from a discharge process to an emotionally calibrated journey—one that made better care feel tangible, guided, and safe.

Our design principles centered on making clinical reasoning transparent and human while maintaining clarity without coldness. We aligned every signal—app, doctor, handout—into one cohesive narrative that built confidence through consistency. Most importantly, we shifted the system's tone from "early discharge" to "empowered recovery," fundamentally changing how patients and families experienced the transition from hospital to home.

Designing Systems of Reassurance

This required both thoughtful interface design and comprehensive experience orchestration across clinical workflows and digital touchpoints.

System-Level Design
‍We built an experience architecture that connected clinical protocols to real human behavior. Our behavioral frameworks were flexible enough to work across diverse populations and hospital contexts. Adaptive guidance systems ensured that digital tools complemented in-person support, creating a seamless continuum of care.

Cross-Functional Enablement
‍Collaboration was key. By partnering with clinical, legal, and operational leaders, I co-created emotionally grounded implementation plans. I also developed a playbook that helped care teams feel prepared and aligned, reducing their burden and increasing their confidence. Continuous feedback and iteration ensured that the system kept improving, long after launch.

Envisioning What’s Next: A Mobile App Concept

To extend this connected experience beyond hospital walls, I conceptualized a mobile recovery app that would serve as a digital bridge between clinical care and home healing. Building on our research insights about the need for consistent reassurance and clear guidance, this concept was designed to address the key behavioral barriers we'd identified: maintaining connection, building confidence, and providing emotional support throughout the recovery journey.

From Friction to Flow: A NCQA Innovation Award Winner

Scaling empathetic care across 4.3M+ patients required reimagining recovery as an experience, not a clinical protocol.

Impact
‍Transformed post-surgical recovery for 4.3M+ people across 21 hospitals, reducing unnecessary emergency visits and improving adherence through intuitive, personalized care journeys that replaced anxiety with confidence.
‍
Innovation
Led cross-functional teams to create cohesive omnichannel experiences that seamlessly integrated clinical workflows, digital tools, and human touchpoints—earning the national NCQA Innovation Award for a human-centered design approach.
‍
Leadership
Partnered with C-suite physician leaders on experience strategy influencing multimillion-dollar decisions. Mentored surgeons and care teams in behavioral design, establishing frameworks that continue driving organizational transformation years later.
‍
Business Impact
Demonstrated how user-centered design drives enterprise value—reducing operational costs through decreased readmissions while improving quality metrics that directly impact reimbursement and positioning the organization as a leader in experience-driven healthcare delivery.
‍
This work exemplifies my approach: deep user research identifying systemic friction, and designing solutions that work across complex healthcare ecosystems while maintaining clinical rigor.