2026-27 Capstone
To better understand how healthcare is actually experienced in rural communities, I spent time in Junction City (Perry County) conducting field research through informal interviews and ethnographic observation. I spoke with community members in three different settings: Miriam, a cashier at Millcreek Market in Junction City; a teacher at Creekside
Arts & Lifestyle
In 1948, LIFE magazine sent photographer W. Eugene Smith to spend 23 days in Kremmling, Colorado, following Dr. Ernest Ceriani, the only physician serving roughly 2,000 people scattered across 400 square miles of Rocky Mountain ranchland. Ceriani had grown up on a Wyoming sheep ranch and trained in Chicago,
Arts & Lifestyle
In this article from Dezeen, the design and architecture publication covers Tombot's "Jennie," a hyper-realistic robotic puppy created to comfort seniors living with dementia and other cognitive health challenges. ...Jennie was created by Tombot CEO Tom Stevens in response to his mother's dementia,
Arts & Lifestyle
In this article from Builder Magazine, author Heather Wright writes about how 55-plus home design is moving away from a purely safety-driven approach toward one that balances accessibility with style, wellness, and everyday livability. For decades, the phrase “aging in place” shaped the design of 55-plus homes.
Business
The problem was concrete and severe: in rural, mountainous Rwanda, a doctor needing a specific blood type for a hemorrhaging patient could lose hours traveling on difficult roads to fetch it, time many patients didn't have. Zipline's battery-powered drones, 22-pound aircraft that can carry
Business
This roundup profiles four different organizations experimenting with new business and delivery models to expand rural healthcare access, each taking a distinct approach to the same underlying problem. Rush University System for Health in Chicago launched Rush Connect+, a direct-to-consumer telehealth membership priced at $19 a month or
2026-27 Capstone
This article is relevant to my research because it shows how healthcare technology can be adapted to provide medical services in rural and underserved communities. My research focuses on designing automated or assisted healthcare systems for rural communities, where people may have limited access to hospitals, doctors, and medical equipment.
Business
Cleveland Clinic has launched a drone delivery program that allows certain prescription medications to be delivered directly to patients' homes. The program began with deliveries in Cleveland's eastern suburbs and is operated in partnership with Zipline, an autonomous drone delivery company. The service initially operates within a
Business
In Bowman, North Dakota, a town of 1,400 people, patients like Retta Jacobi get MRI scans inside a semitrailer that visits the local hospital every Wednesday. Without it, residents would face a 40-minute drive to reach an MRI machine the hospital could never have afforded on its own,
Business
Dr. Josh Umbehr's clinic, AtlasMD in Wichita, Kansas, runs on a model that removes insurance from the equation almost entirely. Patients pay a flat monthly membership, $10 for kids, $50 for adults, that covers unlimited visits, phone calls, texts, and in-office procedures like stitches or lesion removal
Business
TytoCare makes a handheld device that lets someone perform a guided medical exam at home, checking heart and lung sounds, ear and throat images, and body temperature. Then sharing the results live with a doctor during a video visit. Most telehealth companies at the time were selling exclusively through health
Arts & Lifestyle
Christina's World shows a woman lying in a windswept field of dry grass, her body twisted toward a weathered farmhouse on a distant hill. The woman is Anna Christina Olson, Wyeth's real-life neighbor and close friend in Cushing, Maine, whom he painted for decades. Olson