Currents of Care
A Participatory Design for Health Summit
May 11–14, 2026 | Alberta
We invite you to reflect, connect, and co-create with us in Banff—where ideas converge, and in depth discussions on participatory design practice for health can occur.
Join us in Banff for Currents of Care: A Participatory Design for Health Summit— an immersive and collaborative gathering of designers, researchers, and practitioners working at the intersection of design and health.This four-day event will bring together internationally recognized co-design leaders Dr. Joe Langley (UK) and KA McKercher (New Zealand) for a dynamic exploration of inclusive and participatory approaches to health design.Through workshops, storytelling, and shared reflection, participants will explore how creativity, care, and collaboration can shape more inclusive futures for health systems and services. Together, we’ll produce practical guidelines, tools, and case studies that move inclusive health and design practices forward.
Schedule
Day 1 | May 11
Rapids and Confluence1pm–4pmExploring the relationship between
participatory design and healthSummit Dinner6pm–8pm
Day 2 | May 12
Creativity and Creative Practices9am–5pmExploring creative practice, making,
and knowledge mobilization
Day 3 | May 13
Practicing Trauma Realism and
Navigating Transgressions9am–1pm
Day 4 | May 14
Reflections and Currents9am–12pm
Expected Outcomes
Participants will co-create and contribute to:
Articulating key questions and conversations that shape the future of participatory and design research in health.Developing shared scholarly outputs, including papers, presentations, and workshop proposals.Advancing the field by identifying emerging practices and setting new directions for collaborative design.These activities will foster new collaborations, generate future funding opportunities, and produce new scholarly and creative outputs that move participatory health design forward.
