Ritu Agarwal

Prof. Ritu Agarwal, Ph.D. is Professor and the Robert H. Smith Dean’s Chair of Information Systems at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park. She is also the founder and director of the Center for Health Information and Decision Systems. Dr. Agarwal has published over 90 papers in leading academic journals such as Information Systems Research, MIS Quarterly, and Management Science, and is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences. In 2019, she received the LEO Award of the Association for Information Systems (AIS). Her current research is focused on the digital transformation of healthcare, use of IT in clinical routines, health informatics, digital information privacy, and the role of technology in patient engagement..

As mobile devices become more integrated into daily lives and routines, they represent a striking opportunity for enhancing individual’s engagement with health management and wellness and reducing healthcare costs. Professor Agarwal’s research will investigate how social interactions with peers and healthcare professionals on a technology mediated platform empower and motivate older patients to engage in self-management of diabetes, and the effects of such interactions on health outcomes. The project will advance the science of the design, implementation, and evaluation of mobile device-based social engagement (MOSE) apps that can improve the health and wellbeing of patients with chronic conditions.