I’m a healthcare UX researcher and strategist who helps digital health teams build products grounded in evidence and designed for real-world use. I combine UX research methods with medical sociology expertise to uncover why people don’t engage with healthcare tools, and how to fix it.
Background
I earned my PhD in Medical Sociology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where I studied help-seeking and avoidance behaviors in mental health care. My research focused on understanding why people delay or avoid getting help: the invisible barriers, social pressures, and individual experiences that shape healthcare decisions.
This work taught me to look beyond what people say and uncover what actually drives behavior. I learned to conduct rigorous qualitative research, analyze complex data, and translate findings into actionable insights. These skills became the foundation for everything I do in consulting.
Before my doctoral work, I worked as a freelance designer, author, and instructor. This background, grounded in my BFA from Savannah College of Art and Design, taught me how to translate complex ideas into clear visual communication and work effectively with creative teams. It’s why I can bridge research insights and creative execution in ways most consultants can’t.
After completing my doctorate, I joined a digital health company where I spent three years developing patient education programs for chronic illness management. I worked at the intersection of medical evidence, regulatory compliance, and user needs, creating content strategies that met MLR approval while actually resonating with patients.
What Makes Me Different
Most UX researchers come from design or product backgrounds. I come from healthcare research and understand the clinical, behavioral, and regulatory context that shapes digital health products.
I specialize in healthcare UX research: understanding why patients don’t engage with digital health tools, identifying usability barriers, and translating complex behavioral and clinical insights into actionable product recommendations. Whether through user interviews, usability testing, or stakeholder research, I help teams see what’s actually preventing adoption.
I know what it takes to get stakeholder buy-in, meet compliance requirements, and deliver projects on deadline. I’ve created frameworks that guided cross-functional teams, conducted research that informed C-suite strategy, and built content systems that scaled across multiple therapeutic areas.
This combination of UX research skills plus academic rigor plus practical healthcare experience means I can help you build solutions that are evidence-based, user-centered, and actually implementable.
Experience Highlights
- Developed patient education programs for cardiometabolic disease management serving health coaching members across multiple therapeutic areas
- Created evidence-based content frameworks that guided production teams (graphic design, copywriting, videography, animation) while maintaining MLR compliance
- Conducted stakeholder research to identify pain points and opportunities for optimization
- Built white-label patient programs for international pharmaceutical clients that met both client specifications and regulatory requirements
- Coordinated with medical affairs on peer-reviewed publications and evidence synthesis
- Delivered strategic reports to executive leadership on product opportunities and organizational improvements
How I Work
I start by listening. Every organization has unique constraints, stakeholders, and goals. I take time to understand your specific context before recommending solutions.
My approach is collaborative and pragmatic. I believe the best insights come from working closely with the people who know your organization best: your team, your users, your stakeholders. I ask hard questions, challenge assumptions when needed, and help you see patterns you might have missed.
Above all, I prioritize clarity. Healthcare is complex enough without adding jargon. I translate research findings into language that makes sense for your audience, whether that’s executives, clinicians, or patients.
Credentials
- PhD, Medical Sociology, University of Alabama at Birmingham
- MA, Sociology, University of Alabama at Birmingham
- BA, Sociology (concentration in Social Psychology), University of Alabama at Birmingham
- BFA, Fine Arts, Savannah College of Art and Design