Institute Empowers Researchers to Visualize Health Data

August 18, 2025

This fall, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Medical Social Sciences is launching a new methodological training institute designed to transform how health researchers communicate their work. From Data to Design: Visualizing Health Research Academy is a four-part virtual training series that helps participants turn complex data into visuals that are clear, persuasive, and engaging. The sessions will take place on September 8 and 22 and October 8 and 15, 2025, from 12 to 5 p.m. Central Time.

Led by Cindy Veldhuis, PhD, a tenure-track assistant professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Medical Social Sciences, the academy offers hands-on training using PowerPoint and Excel to create professional-quality graphs, charts, posters, and presentations. The series also introduces easy-to-use AI tools that enhance visual communication.

Whether you are preparing for a poster session, academic conference, classroom lecture, or policy meeting, this workshop will help you develop materials that not only share your data but tell a compelling story.

Who Should Attend

This training institute is for anyone who works with health data, including faculty, postdocs, and students. No prior design experience is needed.

What You Will Learn

How to create beautiful and effective charts and graphs
How to design clear and compelling academic posters
How to build engaging and persuasive presentations
How to use AI tools to enhance and streamline your designs

Workshop Cost

Faculty: $1,000
Postdocs and Students: $500

About the Instructor: Cindy Veldhuis, PhD

Veldhuis brings together two areas that are rarely combined: rigorous health research and visual design. With a professional background in graphic design and a research focus on health equity, trauma, and the social determinants of health, she creates visuals that are both scientifically accurate and emotionally resonant. Her research has been funded by the NIH and published in leading journals.

Frustrated by poorly designed academic visuals, Veldhuis taught herself design principles and data visualization techniques. She developed this workshop to give researchers practical tools and strategies to improve how they present their work. Her teaching is approachable, jargon-free, and tailored to the real demands of academic life.

“Researchers do not need to become designers,” Veldhuis explains. “They just need the right tools and support to make their work clearer and more impactful.”

How to Participate

Register now
View the full agenda
Email questions or join our mailing list at mss_education@northwestern.edu
Bring your laptop, your data, and any old slides or posters you would like to improve

Spots are limited, so early registration is encouraged. This workshop offers a rare opportunity to build skills that will strengthen the way your research connects with any audience.