Dr. Rupa Valdez, an associate professor in Public Health Sciences and Engineering Systems and Environment, has been honored with two national appointments. She will serve on the Board of Directors for the American Association for People with Disabilities and on the Patient Engagement Advisory Panel for PCORI. Earlier this month, Dr. Valdez was also recognized with the Jack A. Kraft Innovator Award from the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society for her pioneering work in creating and growing the field of patient ergonomics. She was also named as Associate Editor for Ergonomics, one of the leading publications in the field of human factors and ergonomics.
Dr. Valdez is a leader in merging the disciplinary traditions of systems engineering, public health sciences, and cultural anthropology to improve the ways people manage chronic health conditions in home and community settings. Her work is highly community-engaged and many of her partnerships focus on working with historically underserved communities to advance health equity.