About Me
I am a Postdoctoral Fellow in the
Everyday Computing Lab at the
Georgia Institute of Technology, where I am working with Dr. Beth Mynatt and collaborating with
Dr. Veda Johnson at
Emory University School of Medicine. I received a Ph.D. in Human-Centered Computing from
Georgia Tech in 2011, and my thesis advisor was
Dr. Rebecca Grinter. I received a B.S. in Computer Science from
Northeastern University in April, 2005.
My research contributes to the fields of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), and Health Informatics. I design and
evaluate the impact of software tools that help people manage their health and wellness. My research specifically examines ethnic and economic health disparities
and the social context of health management. I take an ecological approach to technology design, whereby I conduct in-depth fieldwork to examine the intrapersonal,
social, cultural, and environmental factors that influence a person's ability and desire to make healthy decisions--and how technology can support wellness in this
context.
In my Ph.D. research I designed and evaluated 3 applications
to address diet-related health disparities in low-income, predomiantly African American communities. In my postdoctoral research, I am studying the role that technology can play in reducing childhood obesity in low-income households. This research is
being funded through a FACES Postdoctoral Fellowship and a grant from
Emory University + Children's Healthcare Pediatric
Research Center.
For more information, please contact me: andrea.grimes.parker[AT]gmail.com.
