As healthcare systems grow increasingly complex and populations age, the need for innovative, technology-enabled learning approaches has never been more urgent. This portfolio represents my evolution as a marketplace-academic in education research, documenting a scholarly journey from broad interests in learning technologies and adult development to a focused commitment to innovation at the intersection of technology, education, and healthcare. My work explores how digital tools, particularly storytelling technologies, can facilitate transformative learning experiences that enhance well-being across the lifespan.

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My intellectual growth throughout the doctoral program reflects a fundamental shift in how I understand learning itself. Initially trained in applied models such as ADDIE, SAM, and problem-based learning, I developed a deeper appreciation for the epistemological foundations of learning theories through engagement with Dewey, Mayer, Sweller, Gagné, Herrington, Kolb, and others. This theoretical grounding led me to articulate my own personal learning theory, integrating humanistic, pragmatic, and multimodal approaches while viewing technology as a tool for learning in community or self-directed contexts. Drawing on sociocultural, ecological, and constructivist perspectives, I now conceptualize learning as a continuous, changing, collaborative process in which education extends beyond knowledge acquisition to meaningful application, growth, and the creation of connections that shape lifelong learning.

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This theoretical evolution has been reinforced through substantive collaborative research, though not without significant challenges. Balancing full-time work with doctoral studies required difficult choices and constant recalibration of priorities. Additionally, I learned that rigorous research and publication demand far more time than I initially anticipated, a lesson that taught me patience, persistence, perseverance, and respect for the scholarly process. Despite these challenges, I have contributed to studies examining music listening as a tool for facilitating cultural bridging by examining emotional responses to music, the effects of sound on working memory, and the caregiver paradox in multigenerational caregiving contexts within Industry 4.0. With cohort members, I co-presented at AACE's EdMedia 2024 symposium on leveraging technology to enhance learner engagement and learning outcomes. I also collaborated on a project examining how peer interactions foster communities of inquiry and practice for doctoral students in distributed programs, presented at the Educational Research Exchange during the 2024 Fall meeting. Most recently, I completed a qualitative study on digital storytelling using three frameworks, collaborating with a colleague on inter-rater reliability analysis on the data; this research was presented at the Educational Research Exchange during the 2025 Fall meeting. These experiences not only advanced my research skills from IRB processes to data analysis, coding, and manuscript preparation but also reinforced the value of collaborative inquiry and the importance of building a supportive scholarly community. Additionally, coursework in LTEC 6200 and 6020 enabled me to apply Mayer's multimedia principles and instructional design theories directly to my professional work at HIMSS and UC Berkeley, elevating project deliverables through advanced instructional design approaches.

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My research addresses urgent challenges at the crossroads of healthcare, technology, and lifelong learning. Working in healthcare, I have witnessed a troubling inconsistency; while technology rapidly advances clinician education, patient health literacy in the U.S. has declined significantly, creating access barriers and health disparities. These observations shape my research interests, which center on the transformative potential of digital storytelling in healthcare contexts, with particular attention to how technology-mediated narrative processes facilitate learning and empathy. My proposed dissertation examines whether creating digital stories helps women learn about and better understand their own health experiences, and explores the role of empathy in this transformative learning process. This work addresses a critical gap in the literature, which has predominantly focused on audience reception rather than the storyteller's learning journey. More broadly, I am interested in how technology, multigenerational learning, and holistic education intersect as traditional approaches to curriculum and instructional design evolve. With people living longer and technology advancing rapidly, I want to explore adult development across the lifespan, examining how learning systems must adapt to serve diverse, aging populations in an increasingly digital healthcare landscape.

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My professional goals center on translating scholarly research into practical applications that address real-world challenges in healthcare and community settings. As a marketplace-academic, I aim to provide strategic consulting in public policy, research, and data-driven decision-making, areas where I can leverage my expertise to generate meaningful ROI for organizations or companies. Specifically, I envision developing frameworks that integrate holistic education, addressing mind, body, emotion, and spirit, within corporate healthcare organizations, community health systems, and non-profits. These frameworks would support both patient well-being and clinician resilience, creating sustainable impact that extends beyond traditional educational models.

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I am deeply grateful to my doctoral committee, Rose Baker, Ji Hyun Yu, Carole L. Jurkiewicz, and Fritz Lebowsky, for their mentorship and guidance throughout this journey. I am equally grateful to my family and friends for their unwavering support and encouragement, which sustained me through the challenges of doctoral study.