Rupa Valdez
Biography
My research focuses on understanding and supporting the ways in which people manage health at home and in the community. This requires drawing on methods from multiple disciplines including human factors engineering, cultural anthropology, and health informatics, among others. This work encompasses participatory and co-design approaches and attends to the ways in which social networks, physical environment, community resources, and information technology shape patient experiences. I am particularly interested in how health is managed among marginalized populations, including racial/ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, and people living in under-resourced settings. A complementary research interest is in methodological development for research in this space. In addition to these research interests, I am actively involved in initiatives focused on awareness of and advocacy for disability rights on and off Grounds. I serve as an Associate Editor of the Journal of American Medical Informatics Association Open, Internal Affairs Division Chair of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, and President of the Blue Trunk Foundation.