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Professor of Graphic Design Catalina Alzate is advancing impactful, community-centered research as an affiliate of the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute (IHSI). Through her Critical Anatomies Lab, Alzate explores health equity, healing practices, and emerging technologies—using design as a tool for advocacy and system-level change.
This year, Alzate served as a mentor in the Community-Academic Scholars Program, guiding undergraduate students in projects with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District and Urbana Acupuncture. Her team co-created community-facing materials that highlight the lived experience and emotional labor of doulas, home visitors, and community care providers. One such project was a body-mapping exhibit that is now permanently displayed at CUPHD.
IHSI colleagues have described her work as transformative, collaborative, and deeply grounded in equity. Alzate welcomes interdisciplinary partnerships and engagement with the lab’s ongoing initiatives, including the Care, Code & Control reading group and upcoming participatory research opportunities.
Read more in the IHSI affiliate spotlight: Catalina Alzate.
