Sasha Litwin

Physician Design Lead, Hospital for Sick Children

Project Investigator, SickKids Research Institute

Program Director, Creative Rebels

Dr. Sasha Litwin has been an Emergency Medicine physician at the Hospital for Sick Children since 2015. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto. She received her Masters in Design for Health at the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) University. As an artist and scientist, she focuses on how to foster creative problem solving in the healthcare space by using human-centred design and design thinking.

Research

Dr. Litwin’s research interests are related to improving the patient, family and healthcare provider experience. She is a researcher and educator in the burgeoning field of human-centred design and design thinking. Her research also focuses on how to use technology and AI to improve the healthcare experience. 

Education and experience

• 2017–2018: Masters in Design for Health (MDes), Ontario College of Art and Design University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada   
• 2017–2018: Fellowship, Healthcare Design and Innovation, University of Toronto (The Hospital for Sick Children), Toronto, Ontario, Canada 
• 2015–2017: Academic Fellowship, Paediatric Emergency Medicine, University of Toronto (The Hospital for Sick Children), Toronto, Ontario, Canada 
• 2012–2015: Residency, Paediatrics, University of Ottawa (Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 
• 2008–2012: Doctor of Medicine (MB BCh BAO), School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland    
• 2003–2007: Bachelor of Arts (with Honours), Neuroscience and Behaviour, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York, USA

1. Foster ME, Stinson JN, Harris L, Kim KK, Litwin S, Candelaria P, Hudson S, Leung J, Petrick RPA, Lindsay A, Ramírez-Duque A, Smith DH, Zeller F, Ali S. Bringing a socially assistive robot to the paediatric emergency department: design, development, and usability testing. Front Robot AI. 2025 Oct 30;12:1614444. doi: 10.3389/frobt.2025.1614444. 
2. Litwin S, Mohabir M, Kocak IS, Singh D. Creating a Parent-Informed Pediatric Emergency Department Wait Time App: Human-Centered Design Approach to Creating an AI Health Care Tool. J Particip Med. 2025 Aug 29;17:e66644. doi: 10.2196/66644. 
3. Litwin S, Vaillancourt S, Labelle FK, Mondoux S, Berthelot S, Clarke L, Hofstetter C, VandenBerg S, Lang E, Chartier LB. Recommendations for patient-centered emergency care. CJEM. 2024 Aug;26(8):513-519. doi: 10.1007/s43678-024-00706-3. 
4. Litwin S, Sellen K. Designing a Sensory Kit to Improve the Environment for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Pediatric Emergency Department. J Autism Dev Disord. 2022 Jul 14. doi: 10.1007/s10803-022-05651-7.   
5. Litwin SP, Nguyen C, Hundert A, Stuart S, Liu D, Maguire B, Matava C, Stinson J. Virtual Reality to Reduce Procedural Pain During IV Insertion in the Pediatric Emergency Department: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Clin J Pain. 2021 Feb 1;37(2):94-101. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000894. 

Funding

• 2025-2026: The Dyad Chair Project: Co-Designing a Child-Caregiver Seating Solution for Children with Neurodiversity in the Pediatric Emergency Department. Department of Pediatrics Creative Professional Activity Grant $10,000, OCAD U Insight Development Grant $4,500
• 2024: Translated Discharge Information for Patients with Non-English Language Preference in the Pediatric Emergency Department. Healthy Generations Grant $10,035, Pediatricians Alliance of Ontario Grant $1,500 
• 2023: Assessing A Mixed Methods Study to Evaluate Creative Self-Efficacy after Creativity Training in a CPD Program. Continuing Professional Development Ideas Grant, Temerty Faculty of Medicine $5,000
• 2020-2023: Using AI-Enhanced Social Robots to Improve Children’s Healthcare Experiences. Co-Investigator. Canada-UK Artificial Intelligence Initiative, Economic and Social Research Council £62,4960 (GBP)/$1 million (CAD)
• 2020: Designing a Chatbot to Support Caregivers after Discharge from the Emergency Department, Department of Pediatrics Creative Professional Activity Grant $9,564