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United States Gokul Krishnan, PhD, is renowned for developing 'Maker Therapy,' transforming pediatric healthcare through innovative, mobile makerspaces for young, chronically ill patients.
Provided a grant to fund Dr. Krishnan's Ph.D. research, enabling the development of the first mobile makerspace in a hospital setting.
Collaborated on designing makerspace platforms to suit patient needs. Established a pop-up makerspace in the Cancer Ward for Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) and is opening a makerspace in a Teen Lounge.
Collaborated on designing makerspace platforms and established the world's first family-centered makerspace.
Provided an award that supported the design and opening of new makerspace platforms, including those at Ronald McDonald House Stanford and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.
Dr. Krishnan visited the institute to share his vision and initial designs for creative maker platforms, exploring potential collaborations for establishing long-term programs for hospitals.
Dr. Krishnan volunteered here, where he met Brandon Bradley, a teen cancer patient whose aspirations inspired the 'Maker Therapy' concept.
Dr. Krishnan is the Director of "Maker Therapy" at WestEd, an organization focused on improving education and human development.
Dr. Krishnan has shared stories about his work with patients and how it influenced his later endeavors.
Dr. Krishnan is featured on their website discussing participatory design and pediatric quality of life, highlighting Maker Therapy.
Featured 'Maker Therapy' as the first-ever in-hospital innovation spaces aimed at allowing teen patients to explore and create.
Dr. Krishnan's Instagram mentions his connection, indicating that this network provides life-changing camp experiences for children with serious illnesses.
Gokul Krishnan, PhD, initiated his significant work through his doctoral research at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education. His focus was on addressing the challenges faced by young, chronically ill patients experiencing social, emotional, and intellectual isolation during extended hospital stays. Funded by a grant from Intel Corporation, Dr. Krishnan developed the world’s first mobile makerspace in a hospital setting. This initiative, termed “Maker Therapy,” provided confined patients with an environment to invent, build, and engage creatively. These mobile makerspaces were designed to be colorful and engaging, equipped with various physical and digital technologies, including circuit building kits and 3D printers, transforming dull hospital routines into opportunities for hands-on learning and creation.
Dr. Krishnan’s work expanded beyond the initial research. The mobile makerspaces encouraged collaboration among patients through large touchscreen tablets that facilitated communication with others facing similar health issues. Patients used their imagination to create practical solutions to daily challenges, such as a ‘mood’ alert system, privacy doorbells, and a night light for a pill cup. This project significantly improved patient quality of life and mental well-being; for example, one young girl increased her daily steps from 320 to 2,400 after engaging with the makerspace for seven days. This approach was inspired by Brandon Bradley, a teen cancer patient who, when given a “mystery box” of materials by Dr. Krishnan, designed a night light for nurses, showcasing the therapeutic potential of creative engagement.
Over the past year, with support from a National Science Foundation (NSF) Award, Dr. Krishnan has further customized and implemented different maker platforms to serve various needs within pediatric healthcare. These include a family-centered makerspace at the Ronald McDonald House Stanford, a pop-up makerspace for the Cancer Ward for Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, and a forthcoming makerspace in a Teen Lounge at the same hospital. Mentored by Eric Johnson and James Wall, MD, co-founders of Radial Medical, Dr. Krishnan continues to explore ways to expand the program to other children’s hospitals nationally, aiming to enhance patient experiences and conduct further research into the impact of makerspaces on health and learning.
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