Publications

In pediatrics, patients, caregivers, and clinicians share responsibility for health decisions, but limited collaboration can undermine outcomes. We conducted a qualitative study examining decision-makers perceptions toward collaborative decision-making technologies, including interactive dashboards, VR simulators, and AI voice assistants. Findings reveal differences in user opinions across groups and indicate technology acceptance is linked to users trust of these technologies. Technology developers and researchers need to explore design and implementation strategies that build and facilitate trust or appropriate distrust between users and these novel technologies before these tools can effectively support collaborative decision-making.

In pediatric chronic care, the triadic relationship among patients, caregivers, and clinicians introduces unique challenges for youth in managing their conditions. Diverging values, roles, and levels of situational awareness across decision-maker groups often hinder collaboration and affect health outcomes, highlighting the need to support collaborative decision-making. A mixed-methods study including a survey of 235 respondents and co-design workshops with 6 youth with chronic kidney disease, 6 caregivers, and 7 clinicians explored how digital technologies can be designed to support collaborative decision-making. Findings highlight the need for features that support information gathering, information comprehension, and shared-goal projection to build mutual understanding among decision-makers. We propose design principles balance caregiver support and youth autonomy development, prepare patients for clinician interactions, promote clinician awareness of patients readiness, and surface misaligned goals about next steps. This work advances the design of collaborative decision-making technologies that empower families and improve outcomes in pediatric chronic care.

We designed a human-centered, LLM-powered chatbot to support older adults in a retirement community, focusing on accessibility and digital literacy. Using interviews and persona development, we built a dual-function tool for information access and tech education. A pilot showed high satisfaction, leading to refinements with GPT-3.5 Turbo, Streamlit, and accessible UI features. The project demonstrates how LLMs can empower older adults through personalized, low-barrier digital support.

We developed an automated pipeline using ASR and NLP to detect social signals in 782 patient-provider conversations, achieving 90.1% accuracy and fair performance across racial groups. The system uncovered clear disparities—providers showed more warmth and engagement toward white patients—highlighting how AI can surface subtle, bias-related patterns in clinical communication.

Participants rated standardized implementation of pediatric home spirometry as highly feasible and acceptable, valuing its accessibility for self-monitoring. However, many reported challenges incorporating it into daily routines. Enthusiastic, timely support from interdisciplinary care teams was a key program facilitator, underscoring the need for dedicated staff to sustain family engagement and ensure successful integration into routine care. These findings highlight lived experience with home spirometry and suggest ways to strengthen implementation in the future.

We developed an LLM-powered chatbot using a human-centered design approach to support older adults in a retirement community with low tech and eHealth literacy. The chatbot offers accessible, conversational assistance for both navigating community resources and improving digital literacy. Features like large text, high-contrast themes, and voice interaction enhance usability. In a pilot trial, residents successfully completed tasks and reported high satisfaction, suggesting the chatbots potential to empower older adults through intuitive, low-barrier technology.

No abstract available.

An analysis of NHANES data from 26,282 U.S. adults revealed widespread inadequacies in key immune-supporting micronutrients, with over 95% deficient in vitamin D and over 80% in vitamin E. Using nationally representative intake estimates, the study highlights how these gaps may impair immune function. Supplement use was associated with reduced prevalence of inadequacy. The findings underscore the need for public health efforts to promote adequate intake of vitamins A, C, D, E, and zinc to support immune health.