Dr. Kuelbs is board-certified in Pediatrics, Child Abuse Pediatrics and Clinical Informatics and Chief Medical Information Officer at Rady Children’s Hospital. She is interested in using healthcare information technology, particularly the electronic medical record (EMR) to not only improve care and clinician efficiency but also to better understand what factors influence health and healthcare and promote patient engagement in their care. As a child abuse pediatrician, she is interested in understanding how trauma impacts childhood and adult outcomes, to identify abuse and trauma early so as to mitigate those impacts and to use the electronic medical record as a tool to assist front-line clinicians in supporting these patients.
Do you have any particular areas of interest/specialization related to health care informatics?
Provider proficiency, social determinants of health, pediatrics
What motivated your interest in serving on the advisory board for the MS-HCI program? What are you hoping to contribute?
I have worked with students my entire career and find joy in mentoring and connecting students and helping them overcome barriers to achieving their goals.
What advice do you have for anyone interested in advancing their career in health care informatics?
Health care informatics is rewarding and fun! It provides an opportunity to effect system level change. Understanding underlying data structures and workflows is invaluable in leading organizational change.
In your view, what is unique and exciting about USD’s MS-HCI program? How is the advisory board helping to shape the future of the program to best meet the goals of both the students and their potential employers?
Combination of theoretical and practical with faculty with clinical experience. The advisory board brings lived experience and connections in health care informatics in the San Diego region.