Emma J McDonnell

Emma J. McDonnell is a scholar focused on accessibility and human-computer interaction research. She currently serves as a National Library of Medicine Postdoctoral Fellow in Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Her research explores the application of accessibility technologies in healthcare settings, with a particular emphasis on the use of generative AI to improve accessibility and design for individuals with chronic health conditions. Emma earned her Ph.D. in Human-Centered Design and Engineering from the University of Washington in 2024. Her dissertation concentrated on redesigning captioning technologies to support collaborative communication between Deaf/Hard of Hearing and hearing individuals. Rooted in the knowledge of disability communities, her work aims to build more inclusive technologies using interdisciplinary approaches.

• 2024 – Present·University of Washington School of Medicine·National Library of Medicine Postdoctoral Fellow
  • Researching the use of accessibility technologies in healthcare, particularly the potential of generative AI.
• 2021 – 2024·University of Washington·Doctoral Candidate
  • Focused on advancing captioning technologies to support collaboration among groups with diverse hearing abilities.
• 2018 – 2019·Northwestern University·Teaching Assistant for Programming Courses
  • Taught core computer science courses including data structures and algorithms.

• 2020 – 2024·University of Washington·Ph.D.
  • Major: Human-Centered Design and Engineering
  • Research Focus: Accessibility and Human-Computer Interaction, Collaborative Design of Captioning Technologies
• 2015 – 2019·Northwestern University·Bachelor's Degree
  • Majors: Computer Science & Gender Studies