Blake Bergstrom is a graduate student studying Health Informatics & Healthcare Analytics at Tufts University. He has a B.S. in Bioengineering from the University of California – Los Angeles. His research interests include predictive health analytics, personalized & holistic medicine, wellness data, and digital health.

Role in Digital Health Research Group:

As a graduate research assistant, Blake has played multiple roles: 

• Wearable device research – aided in the development of protocol and analysis for research on the use of wearable trackers in underserved populations, partnering with wellness groups at MGH Revere
• Software development – in an upcoming project with Tufts Medical Center, will develop the infrastructure to track physical activity trends of Lupus patients through the Fitbit API utilizing Python, React, and Postgres
• Data analysis – Analyzed medical adherence survey data using R and provided a summary report of findings
• Research group creation – Helped set up the infrastructure for the creation of this research group (website, weekly meetings, project management, etc.) with Dr. Gualtieri
• RecycleHealth – Volunteers weekly to aid in the logistics of RecycleHealth, including unpackaging, organizing, and shipping donated trackers

Goals and Other Interests:

Blake’s goal is to gain both technical and subject matter experience with patient-generated health data and its role in clinical workflows, aiding in the goal of predictive and preventative medicine. In his free time, he enjoys playing piano and guitar, cooking for friends, and arguing about what’s the best Beatles album and why it’s clearly Abbey Road.

Avi Patel is a medical student and graduate researcher at Tufts University School of Medicine. He has a BA in Health, Medicine, and Society and a BS in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Connecticut. His research focus is on technological advancements in healthcare and his experience ranges from engineering work that innovates medical treatment to digital solutions that advance healthcare delivery.

Role in Digital Health Research Group:

As a graduate research assistant and summer fellow, Avi has researched the impact of COVID-19 on telehealth utilization in a cardiology practice, the effect of COVID-19 on information-seeking techniques by patients, and medication adherence innovations.

Goals and Other Interests:

Avi’s goal is to modernize healthcare through the use of technology, a public health lens, and clinical care. In his free time, he enjoys outdoor recreation, UI/UX testing, and watching movies.

Brandon Estime is a graduate student studying Health Informatics & Healthcare Analytics at Tufts University. He has a B.S. in Public Health from the University of Maryland. Currently, Brandon is a Data Coordinator at the African American Health Program, and has previously worked as an intern at the National Cancer Institute. 

Role in Digital Health Research Group:

As a graduate research assistant, Brandon has researched medication adherence habit formation  and the impact that medication storage location has on medication adherence.

Goals and Other Interests:

Brandon’s goal is to develop effective strategies that help improve medication adherence outcomes. In his free time, he enjoys biking, traveling, video editing, and watching college basketball (Go terps!).

Deborah Kim is a graduate student studying Health Informatics & Healthcare Analytics at Tufts University. She has a B.A. in Music Performance from Belhaven University and completed a post-bacc in Pre-Health Studies at Columbia University. Deb has previously worked as a scribe at ScribeAmerica and a research assistant at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Now, she is working as a project assistant at a clinical research organization.

Role in Digital Health Research Group:

As a graduate research assistant, Deb is looking at how patient health information seeking behavior affects the healthcare model and relationships within the different stakeholders in healthcare.

Goals and Other Interests:

Deb’s goal is to become a part of the healthcare digitization transformation. In her free time, she enjoys golfing, eating yummy foods, playing violin, and petting her cat, Millie.

Meera Singhal is an undergraduate at Tufts University, studying Biopsychology and History.

Role in Digital Health Research Group:

As an undergraduate research assistant, Meera has worked on better understanding medication adherence, and the factors that lead to improper medication habits.

Goals and Other Interests:

In her free time, Meera enjoys reading, running, and playing tennis.

Alyssa Quinlan is a senior at Tufts University studying Biology and Entrepreneurship. She has conducted research in the biology labs, created content as a marketing intern for local startups, and generated digital content as a Health Communications Intern at the Tufts Department of Health Promotion and Prevention.

Role in Digital Health Research Group:

As an undergraduate research assistant, Alyssa has worked on digital health group website redesign and exploring innovative solutions to improve medication adherence.

Alyssa’s goal is to combine her interest in health and communication/design to make a difference in health outcomes. In her free time, she enjoys reading, pottery, running, and traveling.