Dr. Leandro Tonetto is a design researcher with 20 years of experience in human-centered design, specializing in subjective well-being and health, particularly for vulnerable and underrepresented populations. He has a background in social, personality, and cognitive psychology and healthcare leadership. He currently serves as an Associate Professor in the School of Industrial Design at Georgia Tech. Dr. Tonetto has also been an active member of the Design Research Society, where he is currently the convenor of the Special Interest Group in Design for Well-being, Happiness, and Health (SIGWELL). Additionally, he is an Affiliated Professor (Design for Health) at the Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre (Brazil). Despite his particular interest in design for subjective well-being in pediatric care, Dr. Tonetto’s research spans various topics related to health and well-being, such as exploring patients’ experiences in hospital isolation and assessing therapeutic spaces for people living with Mild Cognitive Impairment. He has also collaborated with scholars globally on studies that have shaped research in digital technologies and healthcare resilience. Furthermore, he has advanced design knowledge in health systems, specifically in teaching hospitals, where he co-designed patient-centered services with diverse stakeholders to improve experiences in areas such as oncology, neurology, and thoracic surgery. Dr. Tonetto has contributed over 100 scholarly publications to books, conferences, and leading journals, including Applied Ergonomics, The Design Journal, Journal of Design Research, International Journal of Production Research, Technovation, and Technological Forecasting and Social Change. He is also an ad-hoc reviewer for funding agencies and academic journals.

Publications

• König-Klever, E., Bohn, P.R., Libânio, C.S., Fogliatto, F.S., & Tonetto, L.M. (2024). Design of health technologies for users facing limitations: A scoping review. Technology and Disability. https://doi.org/10.3233/TAD-230027
• Fogliatto, F.S., Saurin, T.A., Tortorella, G., Dora, M., & Tonetto, L.M. (2024). Workspace layout for resilient performance using social network analysis: A case study. HERD: Health Environments Research and Design Journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/19375867241271435
• Golami, Y., Rastegar, R., Machry, H., & Tonetto, L.M. (2024). Could social space design boost social interactions among older adults with mild cognitive impairment? Proceedings of the 54th Annual Conference of The Environmental Design Research Association.
• Bohn, P.R., Libânio, C.S., Fogliatto, F.S., & Tonetto, L.M. (2024). Proposition of a user navigation program for an oncology clinic: Customizing patients’ journey through experience-based design. Proceedings of the DRS2024: Resistance, Recovery, Reflection, Reimagination, 2024 (pp. 1-13). Boston, United States. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2024.470
• Kwon, H., Hedge, C., Kiarashi, Y., Madala, V., Singh, R., Nakum, A., Tweedy, R., Tonetto, L.M., Zimring, C., & Clifford, G. (2023). A Feasibility Study on Indoor Localization and Multi-person Tracking Using Sparsely Distributed Camera Network with Edge Computing. IEEE Journal of Indoor and Seamless Positioning and Navigation, 1, 187-198. https://doi.org/10.1109/JISPIN.2023.3337189
• Fontoura, R.S., Mandelli, R.R., Daudt, F., Rosa, V.M., Brust-Renck, P.G., & Tonetto, L.M. (2023). Strategic design for the promotion of subjective wellbeing in hospital routines for pediatric cancer treatment. The Design Journal, 26(1), 142-162. https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2022.2147346
• Rosa, V.M., Fogliatto, F.S., Saurin, T.A., Tortorella, G.L., & Tonetto, L.M. (2023) Transforming resilient healthcare systems: mapping the pathway forward with healthcare 4.0 technologies, in De Sainz Molestina, D., Galluzzo, L., Rizzo, F., Spallazzo, D. (eds.). IASDR 2023: Life-Changing Design, 9-13 October, Milan, Italy. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2023.133
• Rosa, V.M., Herminia, M., & Tonetto, L.M. (2023) Designing therapeutic and social spaces for older adults facing Mild Cognitive Impairment: Priorities in spatial and furniture layout, in De Sainz Molestina, D., Galluzzo, L., Rizzo, F., Spallazzo, D. (eds.). IASDR 2023: Life-Changing Design, 9-13 October, Milan, Italy. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2023.174
• Tonetto, L.M., DuBose, J., Crews, J., & Zimring, C. (2023, March). Designing for patients with mild cognitive impairment (online) / Finding the right pieces: A new Cognitive Empowerment Center supports research initiatives that identify the best built environment solutions to help people thrive while living with mild cognitive impairment (print). Healthcare Design Magazine, 23(2), 26-27. Available online at https://healthcaredesignmagazine.com/trends/designing-for-patients-with-mild-cognitive-impairment/
• Matić, Z.; Sala, M.F.W.; Tonetto, L.M.; Campiglia, G.C.; Morgan, J., DuBose, J., Zimring, C., & Kraft, C.S. (2022). Understanding experience of patients with highly infectious diseases during extended isolation: a design perspective. HERD: Health Environments Research & Design. https://doi.org/10.1177/19375867221128916
• Tortorella, G.L., Fogliatto, F.S., Saurin, T.A., Tonetto, L.M., & Mcfarlane, D. (2022). Contributions of Healthcare 4.0 digital applications to the resilience of healthcare organizations during the Covid-19 outbreak. Technovation, 102379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2021.102379
• Mandelli, R., Tonetto, L.M., Lorenz, B., Meyer, G.C., & Marin, A. (2022). Game design guidelines to foster empathic behaviors in school-age children. The Design Journal, 25, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2022.2083364
• Rosa, V.M., Daudt, F., Tonetto, L.M., Brust-Renck, P.G., Reed, J.P., & Fogliatto, F.S. (2022). Playful interventions to promote the subjective wellbeing of pediatric cancer inpatients during laboratory and imaging exams: a qualitative study. European Journal of Oncology Nursing, 56, 102094. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejon.2022.102094
• Tonetto, L.M., Rosa, V.M., Brust-Renck, P.G., Denham, M., Rosa, P.M., Zimring, C., Albanti, I., & Lehmann, L. (2021). Playful strategies to foster the well-being of pediatric cancer patients in the Brazilian Unified Health System: a design thinking approach. BMC Health Services Research, 21, 985.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-07018-7
• Tonetto, L.M., Saurin, T.A., Fogliatto, F.S., Tortorella, G.L., Narayanamurthy, G., Rosa, V.M., & Tengkawan, J. (2021). Information and communication technologies in emergency care services for patients with COVID-19: a multi-national study. International Journal of Production Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2021.1967501
• Rosa, V.M., Brust-Renck, P.G., & Tonetto, L.M. (2021). Designing hospital environments to improve the psychological wellbeing of pediatric patients. Children, Youth and Environments, 31(2), 98-115. https://doi.org/10.7721/chilyoutenvi.31.3.0098
• Rosa, V.M., Saurin, T.A., Tortorella, G.L., Fogliatto, F.S., Tonetto, L.M., & Samson, D. (2021). Digital technologies: an exploratory study of their role in the resilience of healthcare services. Applied Ergonomics, 97, 103517. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103517
• Tortorella, G.L., Saurin, T.A., Fogliatto, F.S., Rosa, V.M., Tonetto, L.M., & Magrabi, F. (2021). Impacts of Healthcare 4.0 digital technologies on the resilience of hospitals. Technological Forecasting & Social Change, 166, 120666. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120666
• Tonetto, L.M., Pereira, A.S., Koller, S.H., Bressane, K., & Pierozan, D. (2020). Designing toys and play activities for the development of social skills in childhood. The Design Journal, 23, 199-217. https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2020.1717026
• Aflatoony, L., Tonetto, L.M., Campiglia, G.C., & Dubose, J.R. (2020). Photo narrative: co-designing a built environment with seniors with Mild Cognitive Impairments, In Boess, S., Cheung, M., & Cain, R. (Eds.). Proceedings of the DRS2020: Synergy, 2020 (pp. 1392-1407). Brisbane, Australia. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2020.142