Timothy M. Hale (PhD 2011) is a Teaching Assistant Professor at University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne.

He is a faculty member in the College of Applied Health Sciences, Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, teaching in the new Master’s in Health Technology program.

Dr. Hale was the Associate Director, User Centered Design Connected Health Innovation, at Partners HealthCare, Inc., and an Instructor in Dermatology at Harvard Medical School. He was a medical sociologist specializing in research examining the use of information and communication technologies in healthcare and emerging digital health lifestyles. As Associate Director of User Centered Design (UCD) at Partners’ Connected Health Innovation, he led a team that investigated patients’ and health care providers’ needs, skills, and preferences to inform the design of connected health solutions and integration with exiting care delivery workflows. The key goal of the UCD team was to create engaging user experiences and maximize the effectiveness of connected health systems to improve access to care, facilitate patient-provider communication, and support patient self-management.

In addition to leading the UCD team, Dr. Hale was a co-investigator on several studies using remote sensing and patient-reported measures to improve chronic disease self-management. He also conducted research on digital inequalities and how differences in technology access and use impact social and health outcomes. This research has been published in the Journals of Gerontology, Journal of Health Communication, Journal of Medical Internet Research, and Information, Communication & Society. He is a co-editor on two forthcoming volumes, Digital Distinctions & Inequalities and New Media Cultures, in the Emerald Studies in Media and Communications: Communication and Information Technologies Annual.