Designing for Care Beyond Treatment:
Enhancing the International
Cancer Patient Journey
As part of MD Anderson’s effort to enhance the experience for international cancer patients, I worked in partnership with the Chief Innovation Officer and executive leadership team to design a digital solution addressing the unique non-clinical challenges faced by patients traveling from abroad. Collaborating with cross-disciplinary teams across research, design, product strategy, and development, I helped guide a multi-phase initiative from behavioral prototyping and contextual patient research to solution design and pilot readiness, resulting in a guided app experience that supports patients throughout their care journey.Highlights
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Led the operational coordination of prototype development and live prototyping activities, ensuring seamless collaboration across design and research teams.
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Directed cross-functional teams in product development sprints and pilot preparation, ensuring alignment across stakeholders and efficient execution of complex workflows.
Business prototyping
SKILLS & SUBJECT MATTER
Executive Stakeholder Management • Competitive benchmarking
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT • LIVE PROTOTYPING • Qualitative Synthesis
overview
Building on earlier research that identified opportunity areas and offerings to address unmet needs, I was brought in to lead a team of 7 in the program management and operations of our next 19-week phase of work, which focused on business prototyping offerings with patients to validate demand.
My work included:
Coordinating prototype content development workflows, including timelines and deliverables tracking for design and production teams
Overseeing the scheduling and operational execution of prototype launches and on-site observational research activities with international patients
Facilitating the collection and organization of qualitative data for synthesis and analysis, supporting the research team in deriving actionable insights
Product Development
SKILLS & SUBJECT MATTER
Sprint management • product roadmapping • Technical discovery
pilot & Implementation planning • UX Research • OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
overview
Following our prototyping research and insights, I led the coordination of a the following 22-week product development phase, driving alignment and execution toward a validated MVP and pilot readiness.
My work included:
Coordinating executive alignment workshops, technical discovery, and stakeholder interviews to shape the product vision and roadmap
Managing sprint planning and collaboration across product strategy, UX/UI design, and frontend development teams
Facilitating working sessions and pilot implementation planning to prepare for a smooth transition to pilot launch
This initiative not only addressed critical gaps in the international patient journey but also showed how human-centered design can simplify complex healthcare processes. By aligning executive vision with real patient needs, the work delivered a tool that makes care more accessible for patients worldwide and strengthens MD Anderson’s position as a trusted leader in cancer care.