GROUNDSWELL

Designing and implementing a grant-funded pilot with UPMC that addresses oncology staff grief and burnout

Challenge

Initially a graduate student project, Groundswell was awarded a 12-month grant-funded pilot program and quality improvement study at UPMC. The program explores how supporting healthcare workers’ emotional well-being can improve job satisfaction and retention through a four-point system: redesigned patient death notifications, reflection cards, a restorative pod, and a community art wall.

The main challenge was designing and implementing these touchpoints within strict budget, timeline, and administrative constraints, while ensuring each intervention was usable, measurable, and aligned with hospital workflows.

My Role

Alongside Lorin Anderberg and under the mentorship of Kristin Hughes, I contributed end-to-end. I facilitated cross-functional communication among team members, external collaborators, and UPMC stakeholders to ensure the project met user needs, operational requirements, and grant objectives.

Initial research and concept ideation was performed with Lorin Anderberg, Kelly McDowell, and Robertus Shuyo.

PROBLEM SPACE AND RESEARCH

Oncology healthcare workers face ongoing emotional strain with limited formal support

We conducted shadowing and participatory workshops with staff at Magee-Womens Cancer Center. Staff reported exhaustion and emotional numbness while processing the weight of their work. While some staff-initiated practices offer informal support, these systems are under-recognized, revealing a clear opportunity to strengthen and sustain them.

Based on this, we asked:

How might we create intentional, sustainable systems that acknowledge oncology staff’s emotional labor and provide spaces for reflection and restoration within the hospital environment?

STRATEGY AND DESIGN

Groundswell is a four-point support system that acknowledges grief, fosters emotional restoration, and builds a culture of care

Named for water that rises naturally from deep within the earth, Groundswell emerges directly from the voices of healthcare workers themselves. The system is designed within the constraints of grant budget, strict timeline, physical space of the hospital, and administrative workflows.

EXECUTION AND TESTING

Creating a culture of care and sacredness within hospital constraints

Groundswell had to be designed and developed within the constraints of grant budget, strict timeline, physical space of the hospital, and administrative workflows. We adjusted our timeline, working with multiple stakeholders such as clinicians, facilities, hospital staff, and administrators and aligning our budget.

Constraint: Hospital administration wanted to ensure the Pod remained intentional, not just another lounge—and attach doors

To preserve its purpose as a restorative space, we customized a donated Nook Pod with a new facade, added doors, and installed a coded entry system to create privacy and a sense of sacredness.

Constraint: Hospital administration wanted to ensure the inside of the Pod remained intentional

Inside, we included mindfulness activities such as finger labyrinths, reflection cards, and QR codes linking to calm meditations and music, as well as an hourglass and soft lighting to gently guide users without pressure. Floral patterns were applied across all touch points, creating a sense of sacredness.

Play testing showed that participants were worried about “doing it wrong.”

We ran multiple playtesting sessions, which revealed that some participants felt anxious about “using the pod correctly.” In response, we simplified and softened the copy and adjusted the placement of instructions so they were immediately visible upon entry. These changes led to a noticeable increase in confidence and willingness to use the pod.

IMPACT

Stay tuned for further updates on our launch date in October 2025

Groundswell received a grant from UPMC to extend into a 12-month research study. We’re now gathering insights to evaluate its impact within Women’s Cancer Services. We are measuring:

  • Pod usage tracked through a Density radar device

  • Pre- and post-surveys with staff

  • Qualitative interviews to capture personal experiences

Reflections


Connecting My Healthcare Background

My own experience with emotional fatigue in healthcare helped me empathize with staff and build trust quickly, making co-design sessions more open and productive.


Letting Go of Perfectionism

Working with tight budgets, timelines, and workflows taught me to focus on feasible, high-impact solutions rather than perfect ones.


Collaboration and Coordination

I led cross-functional collaboration between hospital administrators, clinicians, and fabricators, aligning timelines, budgets, and requirements to deliver a solution on schedule. This experience strengthened my ability to organize complex projects and keep diverse teams moving toward a shared goal.


Acknowledgements

This project was made possible through the support of many individuals.

Special thanks to Kristin Hughes, my mentor throughout the project, and to Lorin Anderberg, my collaborator and partner in bringing this project into UPMC. I am also grateful to Robertus Sucahyo and Kelly McDowell for their support in the early stages.

Groundswell would not exist without the voices of UPMC Magee Women’s Cancer Services. Thank you to Dr. Sarah Taylor, Dr. Grace Campbell, Dr. Heidi Donovan, Kendyll Grant, and all staff I had the opportunity to shadow, interview, or speak with. Thanks also to UPMC Facilities for assisting with Pod installation.

We are grateful to Maggie Breslin (Patient Revolution), Stephanie Ciranni (CancerBridges), Dr. Adam Cowart, Pete Wendel, Christina Worsing, Craig Vogel, and Dr. Jenny Yu and Dria Barnes (Sixth House Advisory for Project Design OS) for their insights and feedback in the project’s early stages.

Thank you to Greg Baltus for helping design and fabricate the Pod, Ryan Thompson (Fox Tower Woodworks) for his work on the mindfulness board, and Mia Kong for support with the Pod’s technology and electronics. Shoutout to Carolyn Gavin for her wonderful artwork.

Finally, sincere thanks to everyone who participated in play testing and made this project possible.