Academic Research

My doctoral research explored the concept of aging in place in a small rural town. Founded as a utopian experiment, residents of New Harmony, Indiana are actively transforming this artistic community into a retirement destination . Through 17 months of ethnographic fieldwork and over 50 in-depth interviews, I examined both the benefits and challenges of choosing to retire in a rural setting.

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This ethnographic training directly informs my approach to design research today, particularly in healthcare settings where cultural context can often inform user experience on a broad level.