Projects

Accessibility in STEM and healthcare environments

We are conducting a project to investigate the accessibility of STEM learning and research environments for students with disabilities to develop design, policy and practice recommendations. We use a socio-technical systems framework to understand alignment of perceptions of different stakeholders in STEM learning and research environments through surveys and interviews. We are also conducting a project to assess accessibility of medical devices in different healthcare environments.

Burnout and Wellbeing

Burnout is a condition characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and low sense of personal accomplishment. During the COVID-19 pandemic the burnout rates among healthcare professionals increased, resulting in problems such as employee turnover, missed care, and societal costs. We are conducting a series of literature analysis, survey and interview studies to understand the prevalence of burnout among healthcare workers.

Musculoskeletal Injuries Among Healthcare Workers

This project aims to investigate patient handling practices and understand best practices and opportunities for design intervention. Nonfatal occupational injuries among US healthcare workers continue to increase. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 453, 200 compensable healthcare worker injuries in 2021 resulting in days away from work. These injuries result in musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) which are the most common injury among healthcare providers. The occurrence of MSDs is due to awkward postures while handling patients in tasks such as transferring, lifting, and repositioning patients. The implementation of engineering and administrative interventions for patient handling remains challenging because of resource constraints such as a lack of equipment.

Caregiving Work

This project is about creating an integrated, multi-layered, health disparities-sensitive model of care work.  The purpose is to create a model that integrates work systems analyses with how Hispanic adults with dementia and their caregivers experiences health disparities throughout the course of their adult lives. By using SEIPS 3.0 model and the research framework of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) a model will be developed to represent the behavioral, physical/built environment, sociocultural environment elements of the caregiving system, while being culturally sensitive and responsive in interventions.

Empathy in Engineering Faculty

The aim of this project is to understand how empathetic engineering instructors are, the role of identity in cultivating empathy and whether it is a teachable skill. We will also assess how students perceive empathy among their instructors, and whether there are mismatches between expectations. We will investigate these questions guided by empathy frameworks and by using interviews and physiological measures.