Kai Zheng

Professor Kai Zheng is a leading academic in health informatics at the University of California, Irvine, affiliated with the School of Information and Computer Sciences and the Department of Informatics. His research focuses on improving healthcare outcomes through technology, emphasizing patient-clinician interactions, clinical workflow optimization, and digital mental health interventions. He advocates for transforming healthcare IT systems into intuitive tools akin to 'smartphones' to enhance usability and decision-making.

Key research areas include electronic health records (EHR) redesign, mental health app development, and the application of AI in healthcare. Notable projects include:

• Designing user-centered asthma management apps
• Evaluating telehealth impacts on provider burnout
• Analyzing social media sentiment for public health insights

His work integrates computational methods with ethnographic approaches to understand real-world healthcare challenges. Recent studies highlight workflow redesign, privacy-protecting data discovery, and mitigating unintended consequences of health IT adoption.

Collaborative efforts with county mental health services and peer-driven innovation projects underscore his commitment to translating research into practical solutions for diverse populations, including marginalized groups and older adults.