UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Tiffany Veinot, Joan C. Durrance Collegiate Professor of Information at the University of Michigan School of Information, will present “Leveling Up: Advancing Upstream Health Informatics Interventions to Promote Health and Healthcare Equity” at 12:10 p.m. on April 20 in E208 Westgate Building at Penn State University Park.
The talk is hosted by the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) as part of its Distinguished Lecture Series, which connects researchers, experts and thought leaders with the Penn State community to share perspectives and insights on topics at the frontier of information sciences and technology. Veinot was invited by Xinning Gui, assistant professor in IST’s Department of Human-Centered Computing and Social Informatics and affiliate faculty member with Penn State’s Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence.
Veinot will outline a research program that designs and studies new approaches to improve health and reduce health disparities. The work focuses on “upstream” solutions — addressing the social and structural factors that influence health, such as living conditions, community environments and access to care.
Using a community health informatics approach, the research brings together community members, clinicians and interdisciplinary teams to develop practical solutions that combine technology with human support. The work draws on social and behavioral science and uses a mix of research methods to test what works in real-world settings.
Veinot will highlight examples of research aimed at improving health systems, strengthening social networks and addressing conditions that shape health outcomes. She will also discuss new ideas and research methods that are helping move this work forward and outline future directions for the program.
Veinot is also a professor at the Schools of Public Health and Medicine at the University of Michigan. She is a founding faculty member and former director of the university’s master of health informatics program and previously served as associate dean for faculty at the School of Information. She was elected to the American College of Medical Informatics in 2022.
IST’s Distinguished Lecture Series aims to enrich the educational experiences of attendees, inspire thought-provoking conversations and collaborations and showcase a diverse array of people, backgrounds and ideas in the information sciences and related fields.
The lecture is free and open to the Penn State community.
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