EMBARK
She wants people to live
longer, healthier lives—
through computing.
Like other computer scientists, Eliz-
abeth Mynatt uses cutting-edge tech.
What sets her apart is her holistic,
humanistic approach. “I always say
I’m designing for both sides of the
equation,” she says. “And the people
side is always the hardest.”
Mynatt’s work on health informatics
and assistive technology has allowed
blind programmers to take advantage
of graphical computer applications,
helped pediatric epilepsy patients and
their caregivers use mobile sensing
apps, and supported older adults who
want to age in place. “The burdens of
chronic disease and aging populations
are increasingly falling to patients
and families,” she says. “And because
they’ve grown up with technology,
they’re looking to tech to have a role—
and to make things better.”
One of Mynatt’s recent artificial
intelligence projects is a preconfigured
tablet computer that gives breast-cancer
patients in rural Georgia personalized
advice on everything from surgery and
chemotherapy to dealing with anxiety
and connecting to social services. Her
latest effort, in partnership with Emory
University, helps aging patients diag-
nosed with mild cognitive impairment,
the stage that can lead to dementia.
“In my work, I always ask, What are
the fundamental human needs here?
And how does human behavior come
into this situation?” says Mynatt. “Only
when you combine the answers to both
those questions do you end up creating
designs that powerfully improve ways
that people can take care of their own
health and their families.” j
ELIZABETH MYNATT
BY JEREMY BERLIN PHOTOGRAPH BY DAN WINTERS
GENIUS
‘I’M DESIGNING FOR
BOTH SIDES OF THE
EQUATION. AND
THE PEOPLE SIDE IS
ALWAYS THE HARDEST.’
Elizabeth Mynatt directs Georgia Tech’s Institute for People and Technology.