Who We Are
Research Jam is part of the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI). The Indiana CTSI is a partnership between Indiana University, Purdue University and the University of Notre Dame. It brings together the state’s brightest minds to solve Indiana’s most pressing health challenges through research.
MISSION: We partner with researchers and the people they seek to benefit and use human-centered design to co-create solutions to improve health and health equity.
VISION: Our vision is to create research informed by the people it serves and provide a model for participatory research.
VALUES:
- We believe individuals are the only experts of their lived experience and understanding those experiences is the key to understanding and ending health disparity.
- We value broad inclusivity which will lead to equity and justice.
- We believe meaningful engagements must include intention and empathy.
- We value collaboration, creativity, and fun.
APPROACH: We apply human-centered design principles and practices to research in order to explore, create, and test problems and identify solutions in health care and well-being.
Human-Centered Design Research
Brandon Cockrum, MFA
Human-Centered Design Researcher
Brandon has experience working as a human-centered researcher and designer for more than a decade on a wide variety of projects, including health services, marketing and communications, lottery games and more. He believes that when confronting a challenge, it is best to work with experts, and seeks to integrate members of the community into his work as experts of their life experiences. Brandon received a BS in Journalism & Computer Publishing from the University of Southern Indiana and a MFA in human-centered design from Indiana University’s Herron School of Art & Design. Outside of work, Brandon enjoys chasing around soccer balls and his family.
Bridget Hawryluk, MFA
Human-Centered Design Researcher
A Hoosier her entire life, Bridget has long been seeking solutions to problems by asking people affected by those problems. She explored this closely through her graduate work at Indiana University’s Herron School of Art and Design earning her MFA in human-centered design in 2012. Much of her time during her graduate work was focused on the idea of incorporating play into the generative parts of the design process. This helps stretch the minds of the people creating solutions to lead to more innovative solutions. Outside of work – she juggles her family, friendships, and community involvement while still beating her mom at an occasional game of cards.
Andrea Kiser, BS
Human-Centered Design Researcher
Andrea finished her BS in Comprehensive Design from Indiana University Bloomington with an election into the Phi Beta Kappa national honors society and an interest in helping solve human-scaled problems. Her interest in the research aspects of Human-Centered Design led her to becoming part of the Research Jam team. Encouraged by Phi Beta Kappa’s motto, “Love of learning is the guide to life”, she’s not afraid to dive into any topic or method and gather new information and insights that has potential to lead down unexplored paths. Her minor in Studio Art has driven recent hobbies such as painting, sewing, and picture-hoarding, alongside a life-long love of gardening and exploring new places.
Dustin Lynch, BFA
Communication Designer
Dustin received his BFA in Visual Communication from Herron School of Art & Design while working as a laboratory technician and educator at St. Francis Hospital, where he saw every day the opportunities for design to improve communication. Inspired by this, Dustin—along with fellow designer Courtney Moore—opened Attic Design, a small Indianapolis design studio. Their approach to health communication and research design is now utilized as part of Research Jam—where Dustin’s background in design and medicine help inform new ideas about health research. How his background in magic, juggling, and unicycling will affect health research is yet to be determined.
Courtney Moore, BFA
Human-Centered Design Researcher
Courtney Moore is a Human-Centered Design Researcher for Research Jam. The expertise she brings to the team was seeded during her studies at Herron School of Art & Design where she earned a BFA in Visual Communication Design. It was further tended when she—along with fellow designer Dustin Lynch—started Attic Design Collective, a design studio focused on communication design in public health. Working with Research Jam allows Courtney to continue using design research as a tool to help people leverage their skills and knowledge as they shape their own health. And, because she’s no longer running a business, she can use her free time to expand her vegetable garden, which is likely to take over her entire property in a few years’ time at the rate she’s going.
Leadership & Admin
Sarah Wiehe, MD, MPH,
Director
Sarah is a pediatrician and public health researcher in Children’s Health Services Research at Indiana University School of Medicine, an Affiliated Scientist at the Regenstrief Institute for Health Care, and Adjunct Associate Professor of Geography and Public Health. Her research focuses on how poverty, associated social determinants of health and context influence adolescent and young adult health-risk behaviors and outcomes. She partners with local and community agencies and a team of researchers to investigate health care access and quality of care relating to STI/HIV testing and care for individuals after arrest or incarceration and the HIV care continuum during this same time period. In her own community, Sarah strives to be an advocate for social and environmental justice. She serves on the board of Family Development Services (Head Start) and Eskenazi Health Center. She is invested in local community development efforts, particularly those focused on gardening and sustainability.
William Bennett, MD
Associate Scientific Director
Billy is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and is part of both the divisions of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition as well as Pediatric and Adolescent Comparative Effectiveness Research in the Department of Pediatrics. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Urology and works closely with the section of Pediatric Urology in multiple areas of clinical research.
Karen Hinshaw, MS
Associate Director of Operations
Karen provides resource and program management for the Research Jam team. She received her Master’s in Business from Indiana Wesleyan University and earned a Psychology degree from Indiana University. She has worked in community health and engagement positions for over 25 years and enjoys working with individuals and teams to find solutions to challenges. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, gardening and traveling.
Lisa Parks, MPA
Project Management Coordinator
Lisa completed her dual major undergraduate degrees in Communication Studies and Political Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Law school wasn’t appealing, so she completed an MPA in Non-Profit Management from the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Along with her undergraduate interests in communication, she has extensive experience in working with a variety of different people and backgrounds and uses that to engage people in her work. Her role allows her to work on a lot of different projects so she is constantly learning something new and working with different people. She has one dog and three cats, one of which she is determined to leash train so she can take him on hikes with her (it is progressing very slowly but surely). When not training her cats to walk on a leash and play fetch, she enjoys reading and watching Jeopardy.
Deidre Gray, BS
Program Management Assistant
Deidre received her BS in Sport Administration with a minor in management from Ball State University. She brings eight years of experience with administrative assistant skills and enjoys working behind the scenes supporting her coworkers. Outside of work, Deidre enjoys running, reading, and spending time with her family.