Faculty, Lab Director
Tera L. Reynolds
Assistant Professor
As an Assistant Professor in the Department of Information Systems at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, I focus on improving health technologies that enhance connection and collaboration between individuals and health professionals. I aim to mitigate the risk of such technologies amplifying health disparities, aiming to benefit all, not just already advantaged groups. Through my research, my goal is to empower those in need, helping them use their data to improve personal and community health and enabling their active participation in healthcare collaborations. My work spans Health Informatics, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer-supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), and Public Health.
Current Students
Zainab A. Balogun
Ph.D. Student | HCC| UMBC
Zainab A. Balogun is a researcher specializing in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), consumer health informatics, and design. Her work explores the impact of U.S. health policy on individuals’ medical records and the health apps used to manage personal health information. Zainab investigates digital health disparities, focusing on the privacy and security implications of health apps for managing personal health information (PHI). Her research aims to inform the design of health technologies that empower individuals to engage effectively with their health and navigate the U.S. healthcare system.
Md Alomgeer Hussein
Ph.D. Student | IS| UMBC
Md Alomgeer Hussein is a Ph.D. candidate in Information Systems at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, with a strong foundation in machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing. His research focuses on applying AI and data science to real-world challenges in health informatics and predictive modeling, particularly for underserved communities. Alomgeer has led projects funded by Google, where he builds AI-driven tools to improve healthcare accessibility and literacy, including a conversational agent for colorectal cancer support.
He has experience working with large health datasets, fine-tuning large language models, and utilizing advanced techniques like time-series analysis and graph neural networks. Skilled in Python, R, TensorFlow, and cloud platforms such as AWS and Google Cloud, Alomgeer is committed to creating impactful, data-driven solutions that bridge technology and social good.
Rachael Kang
Ph.D. Student | HCC| UMBC
Rachael Kang, a Ph.D. student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, focuses on the intersection of technology and mental health. Her research assesses the potential harms of mental health apps, explores trust in online health resources, and investigates the experiences of racial minorities seeking mental healthcare through technology. Her work aims to enhance the accessibility and reliability of digital health resources.
Bianka Onwumbiko
Ph.D. Student | HCC & Psychology | UMBC
Bianka Onwumbiko is a PhD student in the departments of Psychology and Human-Centered Computing at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, under the mentorship of Dr. Tera Reynolds and Dr. Shari Waldstein. She is also an NIH T32 Epidemiology of Aging Predoctoral Fellow at the University of Maryland, Baltimore and a member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the oldest and most selective multidisciplinary collegiate honor society in the United States. Additionally, Bianka is a Meyerhoff Graduate Fellow. She conducts research in the fields of human-computer interaction and human factors psychology. Her research takes a socio-technical lens to understand the intersections of users’ experiences with health technologies and healthy aging across the life span in order to create user-centered design and implementation solutions that support human health.
Lewis Davis II
Ph.D. Student | HCC| UMBC
Lewis Davis II is a PhD candidate in Human-Centered Computing at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), where he also earned a Master’s in Information Systems (2023) with focuses in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and UX Design. As a Graduate Teaching Assistant and Research Assistant at the Care Research Lab, Lewis works on the CEnR project, co-designing sensorization plans for nursing homes. His research primarily explores Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) in space exploration, with a particular focus on wearable technologies, AI-driven systems, and smart environments that support Space Health and enhance human performance. With interests in generative AI, machine learning, and space health informatics, Lewis aims to develop technologies that assist people while optimizing user experience, promoting ethical standards, and ensuring protections for both users and technology. Ultimately, he aspires to apply his expertise in space missions, improving human-technology interfaces, cognitive load, and collaboration with autonomous systems, with the long-term goal of becoming an astronaut or contributing to analog space missions.
Pronob Kumar
Ph.D. Student | IS| UMBC
Pronob Kumar is a PhD candidate in Information Systems with a strong background in statistics, machine learning, and AI. His research focuses on advancing machine learning methods in recommendation systems, topic modeling, user experience, and fairness particularly for health informatics. Currently, he is developing models like the Group-specific Dirichlet Multinomial Regression (gDMR) and Group-specific Structural Topic Model (gSTM) to enhance support group formation and personalized user profiling. Pronob’s work integrates socio-technical, psychological, and cultural dimensions to improve health tech adoption. His expertise spans teaching, Generative AI, cybersecurity, and multimodal learning, driven by a commitment to impactful, user-centered solutions.
Saron Kebekabe
Undergrad Student | IS| UMBC
Saron Kebekabe is a senior at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, pursuing a degree in Information Systems with a concentration in Health Informatics/Health IT. In addition to her studies, she brings her expertise to her internship with McFarland Associates/African American Health Program as a Data Health Researcher and serves as the Clinical Admin for Remote Patient Monitoring in sleep medicine at Rockville Internal Medicine Group. Saron is currently engaged in a systematic literature review on the impact of AI in healthcare systems within developing countries through the Care Lab, led by Dr. Tera Reynolds, where she also manages social media outreach. With her blend of academic rigor, practical experience, and commitment to health informatics, Saron is dedicated to advancing the role of technology in healthcare accessibility and equity.
Alumni
Parijat Saxena
MS Student | IS| UMBC
Parijat Saxena is an MS student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, specializing in the intersection of technology and mental health. Her research critically examines the potential harms and ethical implications of mental health apps, with a focus on understanding how these tools impact users’ well-being and privacy. Parijat is also deeply invested in exploring issues of trust in online health resources, aiming to identify factors that influence user confidence in digital mental health tools.
In addition, her work investigates the unique challenges faced by racial minorities in accessing mental healthcare through technology, seeking to uncover disparities and barriers within digital health platforms. By combining insights from human-computer interaction, health informatics, and social justice, Parijat’s research strives to improve the accessibility, inclusivity, and reliability of digital mental health resources for diverse populations. Her goal is to contribute to a more equitable healthcare landscape where technology effectively supports mental health for all.