POOJA M. DESAI

Hi there! My name is Pooja, I'm a fourth-year Ph.D. student in Biomedical Informatics at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. I am advised by Dr. Lena Mamykina.

 

My research is at the intersection of health informatics and human-computer interaction. I focus on building human-centered AI tools that empower people to manage their health outside the clinic. So far, most of my work has focused on supporting personalized and sustained healthy decision-making around diabetes, nutrition, and maternal mental health.

 

I'm particularly interested in building technologies that account for individuals' personal values and context, exploring new ways to communicate health information to patients, and understanding how to help people interrogate and appropriately trust AI systems.

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I'm an alum of Barnard College, Columbia University ('18) where I completed my BA in Neuroscience and Behavior. Prior to my Ph.D. I worked in the Neurocognition, Early Experience, and Development (NEED) Lab (led by Dr. Kimberly Noble) and implemented studies on childhood brain development, including the Baby's First Years Study.