Cardiff School of Art & Design>Staff>Dr Clara Watkins

Dr Clara Watkins PhD BSc (hons)

Dr Clara Watkins Programme Director Product Design (BA & BSc)
Senior Lecturer
PhD BSc (Hons) PgCTHE FHEA
e: cwatkins@cardiffmet.ac.uk
t: 029 20416624

Specialist Subject Areas

Product Design, Human-Centred Design, Design Thinking, Medical Product Design, Human Factors, Ethnography, Design Process, Disruptive Innovation

Qualifications

• BSc (Hons) Product Design University of Wales Institute Cardiff

• Post Graduate Certificate in Research Skills: Art & Design, Cardiff Metropolitan University

• PhD Disruptive Innovation: Designing Culturally Appropriate Transformative Medical Product Solutions in Rural Zambia Cardiff Metropolitan University

• PgC Teaching in Higher Education, Cardiff Metropolitan University

Biography

Clara Watkins is Programme Director for CSAD’s BA and BSc Product Design courses and a Senior Lecturer in Cardiff School of Art & Design.

In 2015, Clara completed her PhD, entitled ‘Disruptive innovation: Developing Culturally Appropriate Transformative Medical Product solutions in Rural Zambia’. Her PhD was funded by Cardiff Met’s Research and Enterprise Innovation Scholarship scheme.

During her PhD studies Clara worked alongside Welsh charity Mothers of Africa, a medical educational charity that trains medical staff in Sub-Saharan Africa to care for mothers during pregnancy and childbirth. The charity was set up by Prof. Judith Hall (OBE) of Cardiff University’s Medical School who was a member of Clara’s PhD supervision team. The aim of the project was to assess the potential for the employment of disruptive innovation techniques based on rapid, prototype-based ethnographic appraisal in the development of radical but culturally, politically, economically and legally appropriate medical product solutions. The project focused on the needs of the Chongwe region of Zambia.

As a Researcher, Clara has been working alongside Prof. Steve Gill, Prof. Gareth Loudon & Prof. Judith Hall. Using the findings from her PhD studies she is working on a number of projects in collaboration with Cardiff Medical School, the National University Hospital in Wales and Cardiff Universities Phoenix Project (winner of Times Higher Education, International Collaboration of the Year Award, 2017). The aim of these projects is to improve patient care through increasing the usability and accessibility of life saving equipment. She is currently working on a range of products for users including: the British Ministry of Defence, the International Community of the Red Cross, the Zambian Ministry of Health, the Welsh Ambulance Services and the NHS, The Namibian Police Force.

A key outcome of this research has been the development of the Cardiff Trauma Pack, a low-cost, user friendly Trauma Pack for use in low-resource environments. This work was highly commended at the British Expertise International Healthcare Awards (2018). The Trauma Pack is also a leading contender for an Impact Case Study in REF 2021.

This Research strongly informs her teaching.

In 2018, Clara graduated with a Post-graduate Certificate of Teaching in Higher Education (PgCTHE) and became a fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Current research

Clara’s research aims to understand the impact of social, economic, political and cultural elements on the use of medical products in low-resource environments. She is a member of Cardiff Met’s User Centred Design Research (UCD-R) group and works closely with Cardiff School of Medicine, Cardiff Universities Phoenix Project and Cardiff Universities Bill Mapleson Centre. A key element of her research involves the creation of low-cost, fit for purpose, sustainable, medical products that enable universal access to life-saving medical equipment.

A key outcome of Clara’s research is the development of a low-cost, user friendly Trauma Pack for user in low-resource environments. Trauma Pack is a leading contender for an Impact Case Study in REF 2021.

Principal Publications, Exhibitions and Awards

Current Funding

• Welsh Government, Life Sciences Hub, Bridge Funding ‘User testing Red Cross First Responder Pack with the Possibility of Improvements.’

• Medical Research Council, Early Phase study ‘TrauNAM-1 Introduction of the Cardiff Trauma Pack in Road Traffic Accidents in Namibia for use by First- Responders: An early phase study’

Publications

• Watkins C. A., Loudon, G. H., Hall J. E., Gill, S. and Hall, J.E. ‘The Challenges of taking a User-Centric Approach within developing countries: A case study of designing medical solutions for Zambia’ in the proceedings of the 11th European Academy of Design Conference, Paris Desartes University, Boulogne Billancourt, France, 2015.

• Watkins, C.A., Loudon, G.H., Gill, S., and Hall, J.E. ‘Can design thinking be used to improve healthcare in Lusaka Province, Zambia?’ International Design Conference, Dubrovnik – Croatia, 2014.

• Watkins, C.A., Loudon, G.H., Gill, S., and Hall, J.E. 'Improving Aid through Good Design: A Case Study in Rural Zambia.' 6th International conference on Design Research. ICord ‘17, Guwahati – India, 2017.

• Loudon, G.H., Watkins, C.A., D’Onofrio, A., Hopkins, H. and Ancelot, E. 'Collaborative Research Model for Designing Sustainable Water Usage Solutions.' 6th International conference on Design Research. ICord ‘17, Guwahati – India, 2017.

• PATENT: Watkins, C., Gill, S., Loudon, G., Hall, J. Trauma Kit 0222P/GB New Patent specification. Patent Application Number 1616282.8

Public Presentations

• International Design Conference, Podium Presentation: ‘Can design thinking be used to improve healthcare in Lusaka Province, Zambia?’ Feb 2014

• European Year of Development Conference, Cardiff. Key Note Speaker: ‘Design for Development.’ Nov, 2015.

• Clinical Innovation Wales, Speaker: ‘Trauma Africa.’ March, 2015.

• Clinical Innovation Wales, Speaker: ‘Mobile Monitoring for Rural Environments.’ July, 2015.

• the 11th European Academy of Design Conference 6th International Conference on Research into Design, ICord 2017. Podium Presentation: ‘The Challenges of taking a User-Centric Approach within developing countries: A case study of designing medical solutions for Zambia.’ April, 2015.

• MediWales Connects: NHS Collaboration Conference, Cardiff. Speaker: ‘Designing for Development, Trauma Africa.’ July, 2016.

• 6th International Conference on Research into Design, ICord 2017. Podium Presentation: ‘Improving Aid Through Good Design: A Case study in Rural Zambia.’ Jan, 2017.

• 6th International Conference on Research into Design, ICord 2017. Podium Presentation: ‘Collaborative Research Model for Designing Sustainable Water Usage Solutions’. Jan, 2017.

Honours / Awards

• University of Wales Institute Cardiff, Enrolment Award. Sept, 2008.

• The Course Prize, for Academic Performance and Professional Excellence. University of Wales Institute Cardiff. June, 2011.

• Research Innovation Award Level One, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Jan 2012. For Doctoral Research

• Research Innovation Award Level Two, Cardiff Metropolitan University. Apr 2014. For Post- Doctoral Research