This is part 2 of a special 3-part virtual talk in partnership with Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum and the Health Design Lab at Thomas Jefferson University. Designers are working quickly to protect humans from illness. At the start of the pandemic, designs for personal protective equipment (PPE) had changed very little for nearly fifty years. In the face of alarming shortages, the global maker movement jumped into action, and legions of home sewers stitched masks for essential workers. Engineers, artists, doctors, and designers sought to improve the comfort, effectiveness, and sustainability of PPE. Meanwhile, official guidelines were shifting. What is the state of PPE design now?

Panelists include Monique Smith, MD, Emory University; Adam Wentworth, Teal Reusable Respirator; and Sabrina Paseman, Essential Mask Brace. 

The panel was moderated by Morgan Hutchinson and Ellen Lupton. Video archives of the series are also available at CooperHewitt.org.

Episode Mentions:

https://www.cooperhewitt.org/2021/12/10/personal-protective-equipment/

https://www.emoryhealthdesigned.com/

https://www.teal-bio.com/

https://www.fixthemask.com/

Episode website link: https://mailchi.mp/designlabpod/dotfl2

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Production by Robert Pugliese

Cover Design by Eden Lew

Theme song by Emmanuel Houston