Lily Montague (they/them), a 2023 graduate of Creative Computing, has spent the past three years collaborating with Design, Innovation and Creative Engineering programme lead Dr Karen Shoop on The Memory Project — a design-led initiative aimed at capturing and integrating the experiential knowledge of clinicians in trauma care. Working in partnership with the Royal London Hospital’s A&E department and the London Air Ambulance, the project seeks to support continuous improvement in patient care by preserving and sharing the wisdom of frontline emergency staff.

Now a graduate, Lily is continuing this important work alongside Emergency Medicine Consultant Dr Samy Sadek, focusing on user research to refine the system. Last month, they observed two live shifts with the London Air Ambulance team, offering a powerful glimpse into the dynamic and unpredictable environments in which trauma teams operate. During the shifts, Lily was reunited with former Design Engineering tutor, Dr Shoop.

Reflecting on the experience, Lily said:

“Observing two London Air Ambulance shifts this week has left me feeling awestruck and humbled.

Finding ourselves in stairwells, on motorways, and even in a cinema, the research revealed the incredible range of contexts the team's kit must be designed for. I am in awe of the commitment to patient care shown by all the emergency service staff I met throughout Friday and Saturday night.”

The project is now continuing under the guidance of Foundation 5, a company founded by Dr Sadek that brings designers and medics together to drive innovation in critical care. Lily and Dr Sadek are actively working to secure funding to support the project's development through to 2026.

Last year, Lily, Dr Shoop, design lecturer Benjamin Parton, and Dr Sadek co-authored a paper titled 'The Institutional Memory Project: Strengthening Institutional Memory at the Emergency Department', further establishing the academic foundation of this promising initiative.