About
Jules Sherman, MS, MFA
Designer, researcher and educator working at the intersection of human-computer-interaction, industrial design and clinical care.
I began my career as an industrial designer creating consumer products, where I spent more than a decade practicing how form, materials, and manufacturing processes shape everyday objects like architectural hardware and kitchen housewares. That foundation eventually led me into healthcare, where I design medical devices and care technologies in close collaboration with patients, families, clinicians, and engineers,particularly in pediatric, neonatal, and maternal care. Over the past dozen years, I’ve worked within research labs and innovation programs at academic children’s hospitals, including Stanford Medicine and Children’s National Hospital. My research and medical device work at these institutions have led to several published articles and issued patents.
Along the way, I became an entrepreneur, inventing and bringing to market Primo-Lacto that was later acquired by Lansinoh, and more recently, the Kangarobe, which will soon be distributed by the nonprofit, NICU Baby Care. These experiences continue to shape how I approach research and design, in terms of the realities of regulation, manufacturing, and adoption. My work has been supported by competitive U.S. government funding, including grants from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and was recognized with the 2025 Cooper Hewitt National Design Award for Product Design.
As an educator, I teach design and healthcare innovation by engaging students with real-world challenges to inspire human-centered and equitable solutions. I co-taught at Stanford’s d.school alongside clinical faculty for several years and currently serve as an Adjunct Professor in the Fischell Department of Bioengineering at the University of Maryland.
I hold a BFA in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA in Design from Stanford University. I recently completed a Master’s degree in human–computer interaction at the University of California, Irvine, expanding my practice into digital healthcare products that complement physical systems.
Background
Education
- BFA Industrial Design, Rhode Island School of Design
- MFA Design, Stanford University
- MS Human–Computer Interaction, UC Irvine
Teaching
- Adjunct Professor, Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland
- Former co-instructor, Stanford d.school
Recognition
- 2025 Cooper Hewitt National Design Award, Product Design
- Four FDA Pediatric Device Consortia grants
- Seven issued US patents
- Peer-reviewed publications
This site
I built this site myself. I made the design system in Figma, coded the site with Claude, saved in my repo on GitHub and hosted on Netlify.
References
What clients and collaborators say.
Her efforts have been crucial in moving forward several projects which aim to improve care for mothers and newborns during childbirth.
Henry C. Lee, MD
Professor, UC San Diego. National Senior Director, Resuscitation Science, American Heart Association
Stanford Safety Lab for Maternal and Neonatal Care
Client6 years2020
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Jules is a leader and innovator in healthcare design. She has been an excellent colleague in teaching and research. It has been great to work with her within our group at the Stanford Safety Lab for Maternal and Neonatal Care. Her efforts have been crucial in moving forward several projects which aim to improve care for mothers and newborns during childbirth.
She is fearless in tackling complex problems, strategic in building partnerships, and uncompromising when it comes to designing solutions that are not only effective, but also dignified.
Kolaleh Eskandanian, PhD, MBA
Principal Investigator, National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation (FDA-funded)
Children's National Hospital
Manager5 years2025
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It has been an absolute privilege to work alongside Jules Sherman, both as her supervisor at Children's National Hospital and as a champion of her entrepreneurial journey through my role as Principal Investigator of the FDA-funded National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation (NCC-PDI).
Jules is one of the rare innovators who combines deep human-centered design expertise with a mission-driven mindset. Her approach to pediatric medical device development is rooted in empathy, elegance, and technical precision. Whether she is translating unmet clinical needs into functional prototypes or co-creating solutions with frontline clinicians, Jules brings an unwavering focus to ensuring that design serves the real-world challenges of patients, families, and providers.
During her time at Children's National, Jules was instrumental in shaping several high-impact projects, both as a creative force within the organization's innovation ecosystem and as a mentor to early-stage innovators. Her thoughtful leadership, collaborative spirit, and relentless dedication to designing for equity and access made her an invaluable asset to my team.
As a founder, Jules embodies the best of what healthcare entrepreneurship should be. She is fearless in tackling complex problems, strategic in building partnerships, and uncompromising when it comes to designing solutions that are not only effective, but also dignified. Supporting her work through the FDA-funded accelerator was not just a professional decision, it was an investment in someone whose ideas, integrity, and execution consistently raise the bar.
Any organization, startup, or initiative fortunate enough to collaborate with Jules will quickly see what I've long known: she is a visionary designer, a tireless innovator, and a true force for good in pediatric health.
You all did a truly amazing job! Thank you for helping to ensure that families can more effectively communicate about their child’s wellbeing.
Joanne Wolfe, MD, MPH
Chair, Department of Pediatrics, Mass General Brigham. Physician-in-Chief, Mass General Brigham for Children
Charles Wilder Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Capstone partnerPediQUEST2025
At QMedic, we have worked with dozens of designers, including one major industrial design firm, since our inception. What sets Jules apart is that she truly understands the importance of empathy in product design.
Sombit Mishra
Founder and CEO
QMedic
ClientMultiple projects2012
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Jules Sherman is a force of nature among designers. At QMedic, we have worked with dozens of designers, including one major industrial design firm, since our inception. What sets Jules apart is that she truly understands the importance of empathy in product design. She's deliberate in her ethnographic research and only puts pen to paper (or should I say, keystrokes to GUI) once she fully understands user needs. Jules has tremendous creative vision but maintains a much-needed pragmatism in her approach, accounting for component sourcing and manufacturing constraints throughout her design process. Ultimately, she nailed the design needs for QMedic's target market. Beyond her exceptional design talent, Jules is extremely personable and fun to work with. I look forward to working with her again and would recommend her highly to anyone looking for design consulting services!
We are absolutely delighted with the results and so grateful for all the dedication, creativity, and hard work you put into improving our app. It was a pleasure working with you and seeing your ideas take shape throughout the project.
Veronica Dussel, MD, MPH
Assistant Investigator, Department of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital. Associate Research Scientist, Dana-Farber / Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center
Harvard Medical School
Capstone partnerPediQUEST2025
She delivered excellent designs backed with very insightful research. I would welcome the opportunity to work with her again.
Dean Williams
Product Management Executive, retired
GreatCall
ClientMultiple projects2013
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I would highly recommend Jules Sherman as a talented and thoughtful industrial designer. We asked her to help us with some particularly tough design challenges with accessories to our 5Star urgent response device at GreatCall. She delivered excellent designs backed with very insightful research. I would welcome the opportunity to work with her again.
She produced high quality prototypes and tested them with real customers on very tight timelines.
Mark Rogers
Product Manager
JS Design Group project for Orlando Health Foundation
Collaborator2013
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Jules is one of the most capable designers I know. She excelled in managing a multidisciplinary team of designers, business people, and engineers. She produced high quality prototypes and tested them with real customers on very tight timelines. Jules excels in user research and getting things done with a positive, can do attitude. From venture capital pitches to visiting nursing homes to learn more about the communication needs of the elderly, Jules is a true design pro and 100% dependable. Couldn't recommend her work more highly.
She has a rare ability to both think broadly outside the box and at the same time be incredibly detail oriented. I also really appreciated her strength in designing with a manufacturing process in mind.
Marcy Michael
Sales and Business Development
Suning
Colleague2014
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It was a great pleasure to work with Jules at Suning. She has a rare ability to both think broadly outside the box and at the same time be incredibly detail oriented. I also really appreciated her strength in designing with a manufacturing process in mind. I highly recommend her.
Let’s build things that matter.
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