Immersive Public Health Learning That Sticks
High-impact, human-centered courses designed for real-world application. I deliver signature experiential learning experiences — and help institutions bring them to their own classrooms.
Why experiential learning?
Students remember what they apply. These signature experiences go beyond lectures — combining design thinking, systems strategy, and real-world deliverables to help learners build durable skills and transformative understanding.
Each course is:
✔ Rooted in public health practice and pedagogy
✔ Built for institutional alignment and flexible delivery
✔ Available for live facilitation or licensing for your faculty to lead
Design Sprint for Public Health Innovation
This 3–5 day immersive course introduces students to the fundamentals of human-centered design and challenges them to collaboratively solve a real public health problem of their choosing.
Students will:
Learn core design thinking methods
Create prototypes and test them with real end-users
Pitch their ideas at a culminating pitch competition
Formats Offered:
Spring, Summer, or Winter intensive (e.g., January or Maymester)
Co-taught or fully facilitated (in-person)
Licensing coming soon for faculty-led implementation
Ideal for: Undergraduate or MPH students, public health leadership fellows
Grant Writing for Health Equity
A practical, skills-based course where students develop a real grant proposal — and learn how to think like a funder.
Students will:
Design an evidence-informed public health program
Build logic models and identify measurable outcomes
Craft narratives, budgets, and workplans
Review each other’s work and practice peer feedback
Formats Offered:
Traditional (virtual) semester course (e.g., 8-15 weeks)
Intensive short course (virtual or hybrid)
Licensing coming soon for faculty-led implementation
Ideal for: Capstone-ready undergraduates, MPH students, doctoral students, early-career public health professionals
Systems Change Simulations
These nationally recognized simulation-based experiences bring systems thinking and organizational change to life — in structured, immersive formats.
Simulations offered:
Making Change™: This simulation drops participants into the often messy, unpredictable experience of driving change — from inside a system that resists it. Each participant takes on a fictional role within a team responsible for change management. They must navigate conflicting priorities, limited resources, and complex power dynamics to move a change initiative forward. The result? A visceral, team-based understanding of what real change actually demands — and why so many good ideas stall.
Systems Thinking, Systems Changing™: A powerful simulation that helps participants experience how decisions — even well-intentioned ones — play out across complex systems. Participants take on fictional roles within a simulated community to navigate a series of real-world challenges related to equity, access, and power. Through interactive decision-making, they see how systemic patterns reinforce inequality — and explore what it takes to shift them.
Delivered with:
Live facilitation by Dr. Axelson
Optional curriculum tie-ins
Best for: Doctoral and master's students, leadership programs, interprofessional education
Note: Simulations are facilitated directly and not available for third-party licensing without agreement.
Feature
Research-Informed
Real-World Skills
What Sets These Experiences Apart
Description
Grounded in adult learning, public health pedagogy, and DEI frameworks
Students walk away with usable work products, not just theory
Implementation Ready
Syllabi, facilitation notes, and support included (if licensed)
Let’s talk about bringing a signature experience to your campus.
Looking for Custom Facilitation or Strategic Retreats?
I also lead simulation-based trainings and team facilitation beyond the classroom.