IBM iX

2019

Nova Scotia Health Authority – Vaccination Uptake Workshops

Service Design Public Health Innovation Vaccination Outreach Stakeholder Facilitation IBM Design Thinking Road-mapping Community Engagement Healthcare Strategy Qualitative Research Nova Scotia

My Contributions

Designed and facilitated collaborative workshops that aligned stakeholder missions and produced actionable blueprints.

Sponsor Users

  • Nova Scotia Health Authority

  • Provincial government health agencies

  • Community healthcare providers

  • Parents of children without family doctors

  • Public health outreach teams

Product Design Team

  • Lead Facilitator

  • Workshop Designer

  • IBM Strategy Team

About the Project

The Nova Scotia Health Vaccination Uptake Workshops addressed critical gaps in vaccination outreach among underserved communities.
I led a series of strategic workshops that brought together government agencies, healthcare professionals, and community representatives to collaboratively identify barriers and co-create solutions.

Applying IBM Design Thinking methodologies, I facilitated multi-stakeholder sessions that mapped service challenges, uncovered intervention points, and prioritized actionable opportunities for system improvement.
The insights generated from these workshops informed the development of detailed service blueprints and a prioritized roadmap designed to increase vaccination accessibility, improve community trust, and strengthen cross-sector collaboration.

Key areas of focus included:

  • Community-Centered Engagement: Bringing underserved populations and frontline workers into the design process to ground strategies in real needs.

  • Barrier Identification: Uncovering logistical, informational, and trust-based obstacles limiting vaccination outreach.

  • Service Blueprinting: Mapping service pathways and intervention points to create clear, actionable improvement strategies.

  • Strategic Roadmapping: Prioritizing outreach enhancements to align with public health goals and resource realities.

By integrating human-centered design frameworks into public health strategy, the project laid the foundation for more inclusive, scalable vaccination initiatives — ultimately supporting better public health outcomes across Nova Scotia.

Challenge

  • Increase vaccination rates among vulnerable and underserved populations across Nova Scotia.

  • Address gaps in access, education, and community engagement that were limiting vaccine outreach efforts.

  • Align diverse stakeholder groups — including government agencies, healthcare professionals, and community leaders — under a shared mission to strengthen public health outcomes.

Solution

  • Led multi-stakeholder workshops using IBM Design Thinking methodologies to uncover systemic barriers to vaccination access.

  • Designed and facilitated collaborative sessions that engaged government, healthcare, and community participants in co-creating service solutions.

  • Developed detailed service blueprints mapping outreach pathways, intervention points, and opportunities for systemic improvement.

  • Synthesized stakeholder insights into a prioritized roadmap guiding vaccination program enhancements.

Impact

  • Delivered an actionable service blueprint and roadmap to support Nova Scotia Health’s vaccination outreach strategy.

  • Boosted cross-sector collaboration between government health agencies, frontline healthcare providers, and community organizations.

  • Laid the foundation for increasing vaccine accessibility and improving public health outcomes in underserved regions.

  • Strengthened community trust and engagement around vaccination initiatives through participatory design approaches.

‹ Nova Scotia Dept. of Tourism, Culture & Heritage

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