Yalini Senathirajah

Dr. Yalini Senathirajah is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Computing and Information. Her research focuses on optimizing electronic health record (EHR) systems, telehealth implementation, and pandemic response strategies. She investigates how EHR usability impacts clinical workflows and patient safety, with particular attention to social determinants of health and health disparities. Her work bridges human factors engineering, organizational design, and clinical practice to improve healthcare delivery during crises and everyday care.

Key research areas include: EHR usability redesign, pandemic healthcare infrastructure resilience, technology-induced errors in clinical settings, and leveraging EHR data for public health surveillance. She has contributed to studies on post-acute COVID-19 sequelae in pediatric populations and racial disparities in healthcare outcomes. Her projects often involve collaborations with hospitals and community organizations to address real-world challenges in healthcare technology adoption.

Dr. Senathirajah has published extensively on EHR design, telehealth equity, and emergency response systems. She leads initiatives to enhance workforce diversity in biomedical informatics through programs like the AMIA First Look Program, which introduces underrepresented students to the field. Her work emphasizes actionable solutions for healthcare institutions to improve safety, efficiency, and accessibility through informatics innovations.