Scholar of the Month

My parents inspired me to pursue engineering in college. There I met formative mentors who taught me to combine systems engineering with psychology to pursue “better health, by design.” In the early years, I learned and practiced my newfound interests by seeking out people and hands-on projects in a breadth of health topics.

My basic question is “how do we design systems to help people do better?” We mainly grapple with this question around the health-related behavior of people who are sick, aging, or caring for others. We build and test interventions for cardiovascular health, brain health, and medication safety for pediatric, geriatric, and intellectual and developmental disability populations. Lately, we are exploring how to design systems that help early-stage researchers lead efficient, effective, and joyful careers.

We created several technologies and care programs that have been deployed in health systems or in the community. Our goal is to help others adapt and implement our interventions. At times our work is spontaneously adopted—for example, NHS England uses our systems approach to patient safety (SEIPS)—but we are always looking for new partnerships. Come talk to me about translating our interventions to meet your needs!

Honestly, I love the challenge. A mentor once warned, “science is hard.” What was at one time a cautionary tale is now the reason I do research. I love leaving my comfort zone, trying new things, being creative, forming new collaborations, and encouraging others to push the envelope. As a result, almost every day of work feels like play.

True to the growth mindset, I am learning to play tennis, speak Spanish, and master new cuisines. I like to spend time with family, exercise and play outdoor sports, travel, and watch comedy. Professionally, I enjoy mentoring others.

The door’s wide open (come on in!). Students at every level join our research teams to learn skills by practicing research techniques. For students pursuing a career in research, we have provided opportunities to publish, present, and lead parts of a project. We are always happy to co-design with students an enriching experience, whether they seek mentoring, credit, pay, etc.

All our work is applied so everything depends on the community. We rely on different levels of engagement, from mutual advisory roles to co-ownership to embedment on each other’s teams. Often, our studies are planned with and vetted by stakeholders who represent a community, health system, patient population, or profession. Many of our solutions have been co-designed with these stakeholders. All have been tested by and with them. We recognize that although community-engaged research is a team effort, each player brings different skills, goals, and needs to the game. It is a great honor when a community picks us to play the “researcher” on their team.

Many of our interventions can benefit multiple populations, often with minimum adjustment, inspiring our recent efforts to translate interventions to rural, disabled, and Spanish-speaking populations. We are always eager to scale our work, for example, commercializing our solutions and deploying them across consumer markets and health systems. We continually explore newer technologies, including AI and smart devices, to strengthen our interventions, while solving persistent tech challenges such as user engagement, scalability, and access.