Carnegie Mellon University

Integrated Innovation Institute

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Alumni Spotlight - Garima Srivastava (MIIPS '16)

Designing a Patient-First Healthcare Industry

"You cannot imagine a more human experience than healthcare," explains Garima Srivastava (MIIPS '16).

Srivastava is a Principal Consultant for Design Strategy and Innovation at Benjamin & Bond, a healthcare innovation consultancy and venture fund. The company's mission is to redefine healthcare using human-centered design methodologies and integrated principles of consumerism for new models of service and improved patient care. In her role, Srivastava acts as product manager, lead researcher, and lead strategist on healthcare innovation projects. She has implemented research and human-centered design strategies to lead her team on projects like redesigning service delivery models for women's health, improving patient experience in a long-term acute hospital, and a range of healthcare analytics projects.

"Design enables us to develop avenues for strategic innovation opportunities. But more importantly, it helps us create a shift in perspective to really understand what people need and want," Srivastava explains.

At the intersection of technology, medicine, and business, the healthcare industry has a complex network of stakeholders to consider during the innovation process. According to Srivastava, the key to successful healthcare innovation is a strong focus on the people that are involved in the care experience: the patients, the caregivers, the providers, and the staff. Using design and technology, she focuses on improving nurse responsiveness, designing service delivery models that are aligned with consumer needs, and helping health systems adapt and integrate new technology more efficiently.

srivastava with a patient
Srivastava visits a hospital to research the patient experience.

Srivastava also serves as a Partner on the Benjamin & Bond Venture Fund. By investing in disruptive new products and services invented by doctors, professors, and students from elite universities, the Venture Fund seeks to transform healthcare and improve patient experience.

The Integrated Innovation Experience

Srivastava joined the Master of Integrated Innovation for Products & Services program in 2015. With a background in programming and research, she came to the Integrated Innovation Institute to build cross-disciplinary skills and enrich her entrepreneurial experience.

At Carnegie Mellon, Srivastava's experience was enriched not just by the academic work but by those working alongside her, "The one thing I valued the most about my experience at CMU is the people. Learning from my peers and mentors, and understanding their perspective provided a level of learning both professionally and personally that is unmatched by any other experience."

Shortly after graduating from the program, she joined the team at Benjamin & Bond, where she uses integrated innovation to tackle complex challenges and opportunities in the healthcare industry.