Kaethe Burt-Odea

Background

About Kaethe Burt-Odea

Kaethe Burt-O’Dea is an independent healthcare design consultant based in Dublin, Ireland. A diverse range of experience contributes to her research approach including careers in the arts, nursing, organic farming, product design, and cross-disciplinary sustainable design development. Her consultancy, desireland, focuses on the socio-cultural relationships that influence human well-being within the built environment and the promotion of integrated healthcare systems. desireland works collaboratively with clients to develop project specific research methodologies that capture and incorporate user experience in the development of innovative health care strategies. Kaethe brings a fresh ‘outsider’’ approach to healthcare design research pitched to facilitate organizational learning and therapeutic model development as part of the design strategy More recently desirelandʼs research focus has turned to the ʻstreetʼ and the influence of environment and behavior on health in the urban context. In 2007 she founded the Lifeline Project, a community led project which works in partnership with Dublin Institute of Technology. The project uses action research and community based learning to support the strategic development of green infrastructure in north-west central Dublin.