Kate McDowell

Dr. Kate McDowell is a faculty member at the School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA. Her work focuses on social justice storytelling, data storytelling, and storytelling as information research. Her research bridges disciplines such as information science, education, marketing, philanthropy, library studies, and public health.

Her notable contributions include the development of a transferrable model for interdisciplinary storytelling toolkits, exemplified by the nationally-funded Data Storytelling Toolkit for Librarians project. This initiative equips librarians and data analysts with narrative tools for data-informed advocacy. Her article Storytelling Wisdom outlines her theory of humanizing data storytelling, influencing fields like health information, AI ethics, and misinformation studies.

McDowell’s research emphasizes practical applications, including safety evaluation methodologies and strategies to combat misinformation. Her work is supported by grants focused on enhancing data literacy and ethical narrative practices in diverse sectors.