Tera Reynolds

Dr. Tera Reynolds is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Information Systems at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). She leads the Consumer heAlth infoRmatics for Engagement (CARE) lab, focusing on health informatics, human-computer interaction, and equitable technology design. Her research addresses how healthcare technologies can mitigate disparities while empowering patients and communities.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Informatics, University of California, Irvine
• M.A. in Information, University of Michigan
• M.P.H. in Epidemiology and International Health, Boston University
• B.A. in Biology, Lawrence University

Research Interests: Dr. Reynolds explores the intersection of health informatics and social equity, including AI-driven healthcare support, mental health applications, patient portal usability, and technology's role in addressing health disparities. She emphasizes inclusive design principles to ensure technologies benefit underserved populations.

Lab & Mentorship: The CARE lab fosters collaborative research involving 6 PhD students, 5 masters students, 3 undergraduates, and 2 high school students. Projects include analyzing AI's role in patient support, barriers to telehealth adoption, and mental health app privacy concerns. Dr. Reynolds actively mentors students through independent studies and research collaborations.

Teaching: She teaches Interaction Design in UMBC's Online MS program, focusing on human-centered design principles for digital health tools. Courses emphasize inclusive design, cognitive models, and collaborative technologies like Google Docs.

Recent Trends in Research: Recent work examines pandemic-era telehealth impacts, mental health app risks, and the ethical use of ambient clinical documentation. She advocates for balancing technological innovation with user needs and societal implications.