9–11 June 2026: GenDiMedNet at World Design Capital Frankfurt

9–11 June 2026: GenDiMedNet at World Design Capital Frankfurt 2026

As part of World Design Capital 2026, the international Gender Design Network (iGDN) hosted the series “Falling in Love with All Genders” from 9 to 11 June at the Museum Angewandte Kunst Frankfurt – with an exhibition, workshops and a dialogue workshop. GenDiMedNet was represented with two contributions: a talk by Prof. Dr. Sabine Oertelt-Prigione and a workshop by Claudia Herling. Prof. Dr. Sabine Oertelt-Prigione spoke about gender-sensitive medicine and the use of design methods in medical contexts – an approach that has so far been little established in medical education and care. She explained how design methods can be used to develop care concepts in a participatory, inclusive and diversity-sensitive way.

Claudia Herling's workshop “Designing Care Futures: How do we design gender-sensitive health products?” on 9 June examined, by way of example, the topics of pain perception, cardiology and endometriosis with a gender-sensitive focus. Participants discussed two overarching questions: How do gender biases arise in digital health products? And what could future scenarios for gender-sensitive health products look like?

The heart of the event was the dialogue workshop on 10 June, in which numerous speakers presented and discussed different perspectives on the relationship between gender and design. Medicine served as a central practical example to show how design, gender and medical research, teaching and care are connected. The exchange made clear how necessary interdisciplinary approaches are that link gender studies, design and medicine. For GenDiMedNet, taking part in such events is a central part of its networking work, in order to engage with external communities beyond its own project boundaries. That organisation and workshop leadership came together in one person here – Claudia Herling is both iGDN chair and a GenDiMedNet staff member – illustrates what synergies can arise when networks interlock through their people.