Hello!

My name is Amy. I’m a PhD candidate in Human-Centered Computing at Georgia Tech, where I am advised by Dr. Michael Best. This year, I am also a Ferguson RISE Fellow, conducting research with Dr. Arik Marcell at Johns Hopkins. My research explores community-centered approaches to working with digital platforms including social media and AI for public health communication, designing tools and strategies for doing this work and examining the caring and collaborative efforts of frontline health workers and interdisciplinary researchers in its implementation.

I have been part of several community-engaged research coalitions with public health researchers, providers, and community-based organizations in the U.S. state of Georgia, including Georgia CEAL, addressing disparities in health issues such as vaccine hesitancy and diabetes in underserved communities. I have collaborated with these partners to co-design, develop, deploy, and reflect on digital tools to support our communication efforts, including social media monitoring, natural language processing-based analytics, and targeted SMS messaging. I also support community health worker (CHW) development and advocacy efforts in the state, including with the Georgia CHW Network, conducting webinars and discussion groups about the role of technologies including social media and AI in their work and advocacy. Taking a step back, over the years of being part of these research coalitions, I have been critically reflecting on my research process within them, considering the collaborations themselves as institutional sites where our work is done.

Before pursuing a PhD, I worked for several years developing and evaluating technologies and interventions in global health and international development at Everwell Health Solutions, Microsoft Research India, and IDinsight. I’ve lived and worked in the US, India, Kenya, Zambia, and Uganda. In my spare time, you might find me trying new recipes at home, biking around town, or pruning my cherry tomatoes.