Rebecca A. Meehan, Ph.D., has joined the faculty of the School of Library and Information Science at Kent State University. Meehan will be an assistant professor of Health Informatics in the school’s Information Architecture and Knowledge Management (IAKM) program.
[Rebecca Meehan] Meehan brings to the position an extensive background in research related to health care and health informatics, particularly focused on aging services technology and clinical analytics. Her interests center on optimizing health outcomes and the doctor-patient relationship by improving the user experience of health technology.
Since 2004 she has operated Meehan Group, LLC, providing consultation services in health informatics research, user experience and educational material with a focus on health care, long-term care and technology. Her previous experience also includes senior research roles with Intuit, Inc., in Highland Hills, Ohio, as well as Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and Department of Sociology. She also has served as senior research scientist at Myers Research Institute of Menorah Park Center for Senior Living in Beachwood, Ohio, and senior research associate at Innovative Designs in Environments for an Aging Society (I.D.E.A.S., Inc.), in Kirtland, Ohio.
Meehan has co-authored articles in such publications as Medical Care, Alzheimer’s Care Quarterly, The American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias and Sociological Focus, and presented at national and international conferences on matters related to aging, vision impairment, Alzheimer’s, dementia, physician-patient communication and technology in health care. Her professional affiliations include Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST) and North East Ohio Usability Professionals Association (NEOUPA).
Meehan holds a B.S. in biology from St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind.; a master’s in sociology from CWRU; and a Ph.D. in sociology, also from CWRU, with concentrations in medical sociology and gerontology.
The School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) at Kent State University has the only American Library Association-accredited Master of Library and Information Science degree program in Ohio, offering courses in Kent, Columbus (State Library of Ohio) and through a fully online option. SLIS also offers a Master of Science in Information Architecture and Knowledge Management (IAKM) and participates in an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in the College of Communication and Information. The school is recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of the nation’s top 20 LIS graduate programs, with a youth librarianship program that is ranked 13th. It is one of the largest library schools in the country, with more than 650 students enrolled. For more information, visit www.kent.edu/slis.
Media contact:
Flo Cunningham
fcunning@kent.edu
330-672-0003