Heather O'Brien

Heather O'Brien is a Professor at the School of Information, University of British Columbia, specializing in user engagement with digital technologies, information retrieval, and knowledge exchange. Her work bridges human-computer interaction and health informatics through projects like the User Engagement Scale (UES) and the PolarUs app for bipolar disorder management.

• Education: MLIS and PhD from Dalhousie University
• Research: Focuses on engagement theory, digital health, and university-community knowledge exchange

Her STOREE project (SSHRC-funded) develops frameworks for open scholarship and community-centered metadata practices. She co-developed the internationally adopted UES tool for measuring technology engagement, translated into French, German, Italian, and Portuguese.

• Scientific Awards:
  • 2022 ASIS&T Research in Information Science Award
  • 2018 ASIS&T SIG USE Best Paper Award

Professor O'Brien mentors graduate students in information behavior and digital health while leading interdisciplinary collaborations with institutions like CREST.BD and BC Centre on Substance Use.