I'm a public health professional, PhD candidate in Human Centered Design & Engineering at University of Washington, research faculty in the Department of International Health at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and Fellow at Gates Ventures. My research focuses on applications of human centered design (HCD) to improve health interventions and ethical data use among communities with variable access to care. My career has primarily focused on health programs and policies in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly in East and West Africa. I'm interested in cultural and contextual adaptations to methods used in HCD, HCD monitoring & evaluation, and the intersection between HCD and implementation science. I am also passionate about expanding country-led HCD projects, ethical cross-disciplinary team collaborations, and epistemic justice.

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I am an experienced qualitative and quantitative researcher, and I have helped optimize global health programs and policies. I have developed curriculum and teach how to optimize data visualizations for global health audiences. I love teaching, and I have trained over 1000 individuals in visualizing health data and storytelling. I also provide support to groups on improving usability of global health data tools and dissemination materials for diverse global health audiences. I was a Graduate Teaching Assistant for University of Washington's HCDE 517 Usability Research course.

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In my spare time, I juggle several creative side hustles. I previously was a semi-successful* lifestyle blogger and interviewed creatives (designers, entrepreneurs, etc.) on their current obsessions. I run an Etsy shop, where I sell handmade candles to seltzer admirers (and those trying to woo seltzer admirers), and I also sell candles in retail. In 2018 I founded Yum Index with a friend, and we author a series of data-centric food rating journals. We have published three books: Pizza Metric (September 2019), Donut Metrics (June 2021), and Ice Cream Metrics (March 2023). I have spoken about the pizza rating process embedded in Pizza Metrics to a large crowd. I enjoy baking enough to start a pun-y COVID-19 online baking group called Great Pandemic Bake Off.

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I'm originally from Illinois and first generation Burmese Chinese American. I live in Seattle with my dog Cody. Cody has the body of a corgi and the fur of a sheltie. However, he is neither a corgi or a sheltie. Cody is a true super mutt. Every year I take a picture of him dressed up as something relevant to where we are living.

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*defined by getting free stuff

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