James Dyson Award 2025 spotlights bold design-led solutions in health care
The James Dyson Award has long celebrated engineering minds that turn complex problems into practical tools. In 2025, the spotlight falls on two remarkable early-career designers, Zoey Chan and Gunika Jain, who are tackling two of the world’s most persistent health challenges: diabetes and cervical cancer. Not medical degrees, not decades in laboratories—just fresh perspectives, interdisciplinary curiosity, and a drive to improve patient experience through thoughtful design.
Both finalists exemplify how design thinking can transform health care by focusing on real-world pain points, cost, accessibility, and user-centered experiences. As the demand for affordable, scalable health solutions grows, their projects illustrate how nontraditional paths into health tech can yield breakthrough ideas that resonate with patients, clinicians, and communities alike.
Meet the innovators: Zoey Chan and Gunika Jain
Zoey Chan’s project centers on diabetes management from a user’s standpoint. Her concept seeks to simplify the daily routines involved in monitoring and responding to glucose data, with a focus on reducing friction for patients who rely on continuous care. Chan emphasizes minimizing device complexity, improving data clarity, and lowering costs so more people can access reliable monitoring without feeling overwhelmed by technology.
Gunika Jain is addressing cervical cancer screening—an area where access and consistency can save lives when done early and accurately. Jain’s approach aims to make screening more approachable and frequent, leveraging design to streamline the user journey, remove stigma, and support health workers in delivering consistent, high-quality care in diverse settings. Her work highlights how a well-thought-out screening pathway, supported by simple tools or services, can increase participation and early detection rates.
Diabetes care reimagined: user-centric design in practice
Understanding the patient’s pain points
Diabetes care often involves a complex choreography of sensors, apps, reminders, and lifestyle decisions. Chan’s emphasis is on reducing cognitive load, ensuring that data translates into clear, actionable steps. The goal is not just to collect data but to guide daily choices in a way that feels natural and empowering.
Design as a bridge to accessibility
Accessibility drives Chan’s concept—from affordable materials to intuitive interfaces that don’t require specialized training. By prioritizing cost-effectiveness and ease of use, her project aims to reach underserved communities where the burden of diabetes is high and resources are limited.
Cervical cancer screening reimagined: simplifying prevention
Lowering barriers to early detection
Screening saves lives, yet barriers such as fear, inconvenience, and access gaps persist. Jain’s work explores how design can streamline the screening journey, whether through at-home-friendly approaches or more efficient community-based models. The focus is on making screening feel less daunting and more routine, encouraging higher participation and earlier intervention.
Rethinking the workflow for health workers
Beyond patient-facing tools, Jain considers how screening programs can be supported by better workflows, data capture, and follow-up processes. Effective design can help health workers deliver consistent care, reducing errors and increasing trust in the system.
Why the Dyson Award matters in 2025
The Dyson Award continues to celebrate creators who cross disciplines to solve real problems. Chan and Jain exemplify how engineering, design, and social insight can come together to address critical health issues without relying on traditional medical training. Their work reinforces a broader message: diverse backgrounds can accelerate innovation when curiosity is paired with a user-first mindset.
What comes next for these young innovators
As the 2025 Dyson Award cycle progresses, the emphasis shifts from concept to validation, prototyping, and potential real-world pilots. Support from the award program, mentorship, and access to fabrication resources can help move these ideas from sketches to tangible solutions that improve life for people living with diabetes and those at risk of cervical cancer. For readers, the takeaway is clear: empowering the next generation of designers and engineers can unlock new paths to better health for communities worldwide.
