Creative thinking meets strategic action

Lydia Tonkonow (she/her) is a visual artist and human-centered designer. Her work focuses on collaborative, community-driven service and experience design.

Tonkonow works as a strategic designer at UPMC Enterprises. As a member of the experience design strategy team, she forges avenues for improved patient access to healthcare and supports system-wide process implementation. She previously served as associate director for the Institute for Medicaid Innovation, a national health policy and research institute. There, her work supported the creation and dissemination of Medicaid resources focused on advancing health equity. Her master’s work explored how human-centered design can support the implementation of public health policy in Baltimore.

Tonkonow received her B.A. in studio art from Wesleyan University in 2017 and her M.A. in social design from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2021.

Outside of the office, you can find Tonkonow painting, sketching, and experimenting with new mediums. Her art has been shown in galleries across Connecticut and Washington, DC.