{"id":33454,"date":"2026-06-09T11:16:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T15:16:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/2026\/06\/09\/from-midwifery-to-systems-thinking-designing-change-in-maternal-health\/"},"modified":"2026-08-11T18:03:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T22:03:54","slug":"from-midwifery-to-systems-thinking-designing-change-in-maternal-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/2026\/06\/09\/from-midwifery-to-systems-thinking-designing-change-in-maternal-health\/","title":{"rendered":"From Midwifery to Systems Thinking: Designing Change in Maternal Health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

Meghan Bausone<\/a> thought she wanted to be a midwife. Now, she\u2019s exploring complex problems in maternal health as part of her Doctor of Design dissertation, using systems thinking to find answers to wicked problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early in her career, Meghan used her women\u2019s studies and anthropology degrees to prepare for becoming a midwife – she was passionate about the model of practice that supported women in home births. Becoming involved as a founding co-designer with Squat Birth Journal<\/em><\/a> in 2010, she jumped feet-first into graphic design, taking courses at community college until her instructor encouraged her to pursue a formal master\u2019s degree.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Copies
Copies of Squat Birth Journal that Bausone co-designed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After earning her master\u2019s degree from Kent State, she became a user experience designer for a number of startups. \u201cWhat I realized was that a lot of the problems that we were trying to solve for, and what I was trying to contribute to as a user experience designer, were more deeply rooted problems,\u201d she said. In trying to solve a problem for somebody, she was looking deeper into organizational and system design, rather than just digital interface problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The focus on a larger systems design approach brought doctorate degrees within her radar, and the Doctor of Design (DDes) program within the College of Design was the perfect fit. As a full-time professional, the DDes program allowed her the flexibility of earning her doctorate while still maintaining her career. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her experiences are moving full circle, as she refocuses her academic work back on rural maternal health access and how she can apply a systems thinking lens to the issues mothers face in that space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI went into my dissertation knowing that the system [of maternal health] was broken,\u201d Bausone says. \u201cBut it\u2019s so broken, some people don\u2019t even feel like they are a part of a system.\u201d She realized that while systems thinking can help map out and understand some of the dynamics of the problem, the issues on the table to be solved are at a deeply human and cultural level that would require a significant paradigm shift, making it what designers often call a \u201cwicked problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of her doctoral work, Meghan often talks to those part of the broken system, realizing that many women across the country are falling through the cracks in what are known as maternal healthcare deserts\u2013 areas where women aren\u2019t getting prenatal care, postnatal care, or even making it to a hospital in time to have their baby. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd we haven\u2019t gotten to the point where we say, \u2018we really need to change the system in order to solve the problem,\u2019\u201d she adds. That focus on systems design and exploring ways to tackle large, societal problems led her to interview Professor Richard Buchanan about the Four Orders of Design<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she started the DDes program, she didn\u2019t realize the overlap that existed between the design disciplines \u2013 graphic design, architectural design, landscape design, interactive design, virtual reality \u2013 but the program helped her understand the design theory interwoven through each discipline, and has made her work on the Design Issues<\/em> editorial board more valuable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when Buchanan invited her to apply for an editorial role on the Design Issues<\/em><\/a> editorial board, Meghan was prepared. Design Issues<\/em> examines design history, theory and criticism through articles written by professional and scholarly contributors.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The board collectively reviews submissions for each issue, and being able to understand the design theory, lend her expertise, and recommend suggestions for inclusion has been rewarding to her personal and professional work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I started the DDes program, I had a narrow view of what design is and can do,\u201d she says. \u201cWhat I\u2019m really taking away from this program is that design is much bigger and broader than I thought it could be, and the work that I can do in maternal health and other areas is much bigger and broader than what I thought it could be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meghan is now working with a community of professionals with a similar goal of improving the system, ranging from physicians to epidemiologists to medical anthropologists, standing at the forefront of radical change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t realize until later how intertwined my interest in maternal health was with my development as a designer,\u201d Meghan adds. \u201cBut now, I\u2019m unapologetic \u2013 it was there all along.\u201d <\/p>\n

This post was originally published<\/a> in College of Design Blog.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false,"raw":"\n\n\n\n\n

Meghan Bausone<\/a> thought she wanted to be a midwife. Now, she\u2019s exploring complex problems in maternal health as part of her Doctor of Design dissertation, using systems thinking to find answers to wicked problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early in her career, Meghan used her women\u2019s studies and anthropology degrees to prepare for becoming a midwife - she was passionate about the model of practice that supported women in home births. Becoming involved as a founding co-designer with Squat Birth Journal<\/em><\/a> in 2010, she jumped feet-first into graphic design, taking courses at community college until her instructor encouraged her to pursue a formal master\u2019s degree.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Copies
Copies of Squat Birth Journal that Bausone co-designed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After earning her master\u2019s degree from Kent State, she became a user experience designer for a number of startups. \u201cWhat I realized was that a lot of the problems that we were trying to solve for, and what I was trying to contribute to as a user experience designer, were more deeply rooted problems,\u201d she said. In trying to solve a problem for somebody, she was looking deeper into organizational and system design, rather than just digital interface problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The focus on a larger systems design approach brought doctorate degrees within her radar, and the Doctor of Design (DDes) program within the College of Design was the perfect fit. As a full-time professional, the DDes program allowed her the flexibility of earning her doctorate while still maintaining her career. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her experiences are moving full circle, as she refocuses her academic work back on rural maternal health access and how she can apply a systems thinking lens to the issues mothers face in that space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI went into my dissertation knowing that the system [of maternal health] was broken,\u201d Bausone says. \u201cBut it\u2019s so broken, some people don\u2019t even feel like they are a part of a system.\u201d She realized that while systems thinking can help map out and understand some of the dynamics of the problem, the issues on the table to be solved are at a deeply human and cultural level that would require a significant paradigm shift, making it what designers often call a \u201cwicked problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of her doctoral work, Meghan often talks to those part of the broken system, realizing that many women across the country are falling through the cracks in what are known as maternal healthcare deserts\u2013 areas where women aren\u2019t getting prenatal care, postnatal care, or even making it to a hospital in time to have their baby. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd we haven\u2019t gotten to the point where we say, \u2018we really need to change the system in order to solve the problem,\u2019\u201d she adds. That focus on systems design and exploring ways to tackle large, societal problems led her to interview Professor Richard Buchanan about the Four Orders of Design<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she started the DDes program, she didn\u2019t realize the overlap that existed between the design disciplines \u2013 graphic design, architectural design, landscape design, interactive design, virtual reality \u2013 but the program helped her understand the design theory interwoven through each discipline, and has made her work on the Design Issues<\/em> editorial board more valuable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when Buchanan invited her to apply for an editorial role on the Design Issues<\/em><\/a> editorial board, Meghan was prepared. Design Issues<\/em> examines design history, theory and criticism through articles written by professional and scholarly contributors.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The board collectively reviews submissions for each issue, and being able to understand the design theory, lend her expertise, and recommend suggestions for inclusion has been rewarding to her personal and professional work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I started the DDes program, I had a narrow view of what design is and can do,\u201d she says. \u201cWhat I\u2019m really taking away from this program is that design is much bigger and broader than I thought it could be, and the work that I can do in maternal health and other areas is much bigger and broader than what I thought it could be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meghan is now working with a community of professionals with a similar goal of improving the system, ranging from physicians to epidemiologists to medical anthropologists, standing at the forefront of radical change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t realize until later how intertwined my interest in maternal health was with my development as a designer,\u201d Meghan adds. \u201cBut now, I\u2019m unapologetic \u2013 it was there all along.\u201d <\/p>\n"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Meghan Bausone thought she wanted to be a midwife. Now, she\u2019s exploring complex problems in maternal health as part of her Doctor of Design dissertation, using systems thinking to find answers to wicked problems.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":33455,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"ncstate_wire","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[45],"class_list":["post-33454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newswire","tag-_from-newswire-collection-406"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33454"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33454\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33458,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33454\/revisions\/33458"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}