Catherine Arnott Smith is a Professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences (Information School). Her expertise spans consumer health informatics, medical informatics, and health information management. She holds advanced degrees from the University of Michigan (AMLS, M.A. 1992) and University of Pittsburgh (MS 2000; PhD 2002). Research focuses on patient-facing health technologies, including clinical note accessibility, health literacy, and public library roles in health information provision. Key areas include pediatric open notes, wearable device terminology, and disability-related health management. She teaches courses such as Digital Health (LIS 517) and Information Organization (LIS 602). Publications emphasize healthcare transparency, misinformation mitigation, and stakeholder engagement. Recent work explores cognitive/cultural factors influencing vaccination attitudes and parent perspectives on pediatric clinical notes. She advocates for inclusive design of health IT systems, leveraging qualitative methods like interviews and content analysis. No scientific awards are explicitly listed, but her extensive grant-funded research addresses topics like health information equity and consumer engagement. She collaborates with interdisciplinary teams in medical, library, and educational sectors. Her work bridges clinical documentation practices with public health needs, particularly for vulnerable populations such as disabled youth and low-literacy caregivers.
