Project Title Burnout: the interplay of capacity and care within community-centred organizations

This research project explores the potential of life-centred design approaches within community organizations to respond to distressing employee experiences. The study investigates how dynamic and intense professional expectations contribute to distress impacting personal capacities, affecting personal well-being and ability to give and receive care. Through foresight and participatory design research methods — such as causal layer analysis to examine underlying causes, to identify emerging patterns and journey mapping to visualize employee experiences — the research aims to uncover new holistically-focused insights and impacts to support care providers.

Crystal Chan is an occupational therapist and strategic designer working at the intersections of healthcare innovation, community-based research, and strategic foresight. As a clinician-designer currently rooted in mental health and aging care, she brings a relational approach and systems-informed lens to bridge institutional and community approaches in reimagining care delivery. With experience in inclusive design, participatory methods and project management, her work reflects a commitment to learning, unlearning and fostering sustainable care systems where care providers and communities feel seen, valued and empowered as co-creators of health and wellbeing.