Sam Whitman
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The Arizona Biomedical Collaborative Building (ABC1) 425 N 5th St #250 Phoenix, AZ 85004
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Mail code: 9020Campus: Phoenix
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Sam is a human-centered researcher and social scientist dedicated to helping organizations better understand people, improve systems, and implement meaningful change. Her work spans healthcare, public health, emergency services, and community organizations, where she uses qualitative research, stakeholder engagement, and implementation science to improve patient experiences, service delivery, technology adoption, and organizational decision-making.
Drawing from health services research, human-computer interaction (HCI), science and technology studies (STS), and implementation science, Sam partners with healthcare providers, public agencies, community organizations, and interdisciplinary teams to understand how people experience complex systems and how those systems can better support the communities they serve. Her work combines interviews, ethnographic fieldwork, workflow analysis, and human-centered research methods to translate lived experiences into practical strategies, implementation guidance, and organizational improvement.
Across projects, she is passionate about bridging research and practice—transforming qualitative insights into actionable recommendations that strengthen healthcare delivery, improve technology implementation, and support more equitable, effective, and human-centered services.
Doctor of Philosophy in Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology, August 2018 - May 2024
School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
Masters of Science in the Science of Healthcare Delivery, August 2017 - May 2018
College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona
Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences (Health Policy), January 2015 – December 2016
College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona
- Public Administration and Public Management Certificate
Associates of Science, August 2011 - December 2014
Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Chandler, Arizona
Patient work, experiences, and perspectives in chronic illness management; Health information technology and sociotechnical systems in healthcare; Qualitative research methods and participatory research design; Health equity, access to care, and social determinants of health; Interdisciplinary approaches to health services research, spanning fields such as human-computer interaction, health informatics, population health, and social sciences; Knowledge production and expertise in health contexts; Translating research findings into interventions, policies, and system transformations to improve patient outcomes and experiences; Collaborative research with diverse stakeholders, including healthcare institutions, non-profits, and community partners; Dissemination of research through publications, presentations, and community engagement; Intersection of technology, data, and patient-centered care; Health humanities approach to health services research; Improving patient experiences and outcomes
Journal Articles
- Gordon, E., Harlow, J., Whitman, S. A., & Lee, M. (2024). Data Discretion: Screen-Level Bureaucrats and Municipal Decision-Making. Digital Government: Research and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1145/3652950
- Pawar, A. S., Thorsteinsdottir, B., Whitman, S. A., Pine, K., Lee, A., Espinoza Suarez, N. R., Organick-Lee, P., Thota, A., Lorenz, E., Beck, A., Albright, R., Feely, M., Williams, A., Behnken, E., & Boehmer, K. (2023). Decisional Regret Surrounding Dialysis Initiation: A Comparative Analysis. Kidney Medicine, 100785. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xkme.2023.100785
- Shukla, P., Lee, M., Whitman, S. A., & Pine, K. (2022). Delay of routine health care during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study of individuals’ risk assessment and decision making. Social Science & Medicine, 115164. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115164
- Barreto, E. F., McCoy, R. G., Larson, J. J., Warsame, R. M., Kennedy, C. C., Baker, A. E., Hart, E. S., Pagel, S. M., Whitman, S. A., & Enders, F. T. (2021). Evaluation of the academic achievements of clinician health services research scientists involved in “pre-K” career development award programs. Journal of clinical and translational science, 5(1). doi:10.1017/cts.2021.780
- Boehmer, K. R., Pine, K. H., Whitman, S. A., Organick, P., Thota, A., Espinoza Suarez, N. R., LaVecchia, C. M., Lee, A., Behnken, E., Thorsteinsdottir, B., Pawar, A. S., Beck, A., Lorenz, E. C., & Albright, R. C. (2021). Do patients with high versus low treatment and illness burden have different needs? A mixed-methods study of patients living on dialysis. Plos one, 16(12), e0260914. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0260914
Peer-Reviewed Conference Proceedings
- Whitman, S. A., Pine, K. H., Thorsteinsdottir, B., Organick-Lee, P., Thota, A., Espinoza Suarez, N. R., Johnston, E. W., Boehmer, K. R., (2021). Bodily Experiences of Illness and Treatment as Information Work: The Case of Chronic Kidney Disease. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 5(CSCW2), 1-28. doi:10.1145/3479527
- Pine, K. H., Lee, M., Whitman, S. A., Chen, Y., Henne, K., (2021) Making Sense of Risk Information amidst Uncertainty: Individuals’ Perceived Risks Associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic. In Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-15). doi:10.1145/3411764.3445051 **Honorable Mention Award.
- Jelen, B., Richards, O. K., Whitman, S. A., Ongwere, T., Kresnye, K. C., & Siek, K. A. (2020). Exploring the Use of Electronics to Customize Pervasive Health Technologies with Older Adult Crafters. In Proceedings of the 14th EAI International Conference on Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare (PervasiveHealth '20). p. 166–178. doi:10.1145/3421937.3421976
Conference Workshops
- Whitman, S. A., Pine, K. H., Harlow, J., (November 2023). Endangered Healthcare Ecologies: Understanding and Addressing Patient Work, 2024 Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) Conference, Honolulu, HI, USA
- Lorenz, E., Thorsteinsdottir, B., Albright, Robert., Boehmer, K., Mair, F., Whitman S. A. (October 2019). Large Group Workshop: Patient Cases, Care that Fits 2019 Conference, Knowledge Enterprise Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
Conference Presentations
- Whitman, S. A., Pine, K. H., Thorsteinsdottir, B., Organick-Lee, P., Thota, A., Espinoza Suarez, N. R., Johnston, E. W., Boehmer, K. R. (October, 2021). Bodily Experiences of Illness and Treatment as Information Work: The Case of Chronic Kidney Disease. 24th ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (CSCW), Virtual Conference
- Whitman, S. A., Pine, K. H., Boehmer, K. R., Espinoza Suarez, N. R., Organick-Lee, P., Thota, A., Thorsteinsdottir, B., Pawar, A., Montori, V. M., (September, 2019), Enacting Treatment: The Case of Chronic Kidney Disease and Dialysis, 2019 Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) Conference, New Orleans, LA, USA
- Thorsteinsdottir, B., Lorenz, E., Albright, R., and Whitman, S. (October, 2018). Doing MDM and SDM in Practice-Patient Case Workshop, 2018 Minimally Disruptive Medicine Conference, Knowledge Enterprise Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
Poster Presentations
- Siraj, H., Whitman, S. A., Pine, K. H., & Lee, M. (April, 2024). Exploring Domestic Workers' Risk Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic. iConference 2024 Proceedings, Changchun, China
- Whitman, S., (May, 2018). Patient-Centered Exploration and Innovation to Understand and Ease the Burden of Dialysis, School for the Science of Health Care Delivery Research Poster Symposium, School of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
- Richards, O., Whitman, S., Jelen, B., Siek, K., (June, 2016). Empowering Older Adult Creative Groups with Maker Technology. Indiana University ProHealth REU Presentation. Bloomington, IN, USA
- Whitman, S. (May, 2016). The Quantified Self for Customized Health Care, Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium, School of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
Other Invited Engagements
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Siraj, H., Whitman, S., Kathleen Pine, K., and Lee, M. (June 2022). Risk work in the age of intelligent machines: The informal risk work of individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic, WAIM-22- Work in the Age of Intelligent Machines Working Conference, Washington, D.C., USA
Richards, O., Whitman, S., Jelen, B., Siek, K. (October 2016). Empowering Older Adult Creative Groups with Maker Technology. CUR's 2016 Research Experiences for Undergraduates Symposium. Arlington, VA, USA
Blogs
- Kabella, D., Whitman, S., & Pine, K., (July 21, 2022). “Enacting Personhood, Legitimacy, and Autonomy: What STS can Reveal about the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Decision.” Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) Reflections. (LINK)
- Whitman, S., (August 16, 2017). “Copper Hen Bakery & Cafe Offers Delicious Treats and Community” Good Food Finder. (LINK)
Podcasts
- Whitman, S. (Guest Expert), (April 2, 2024). Browne, B., Rasmussen, L. (Hosts). “Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Difficulty Of Navigating the Healthcare System” Brain Health 365. (LINK)
Conference Workshops
- Whitman, S. A., Pine, K. H., Harlow, J., (November 2023). Endangered Healthcare Ecologies: Understanding and Addressing Patient Work, 2024 Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) Conference, Honolulu, HI, USA
- Lorenz, E., Thorsteinsdottir, B., Albright, Robert., Boehmer, K., Mair, F., Whitman S. A. (October 2019). Large Group Workshop: Patient Cases, Care that Fits 2019 Conference, Knowledge Enterprise Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
Conference Presentations
- Whitman, S. A., Pine, K. H., Thorsteinsdottir, B., Organick-Lee, P., Thota, A., Espinoza Suarez, N. R., Johnston, E. W., Boehmer, K. R. (October, 2021). Bodily Experiences of Illness and Treatment as Information Work: The Case of Chronic Kidney Disease. 24th ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (CSCW), Virtual Conference
- Whitman, S. A., Pine, K. H., Boehmer, K. R., Espinoza Suarez, N. R., Organick-Lee, P., Thota, A., Thorsteinsdottir, B., Pawar, A., Montori, V. M., (September, 2019), Enacting Treatment: The Case of Chronic Kidney Disease and Dialysis, 2019 Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) Conference, New Orleans, LA, USA
- Thorsteinsdottir, B., Lorenz, E., Albright, R., and Whitman, S. (October, 2018). Doing MDM and SDM in Practice-Patient Case Workshop, 2018 Minimally Disruptive Medicine Conference, Knowledge Enterprise Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
Poster Presentations
- Siraj, H., Whitman, S., (April, 2024). Exploring Domestic Workers' Risk Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic, iConference 2024, Virtual Attendance
- Whitman, S., (May, 2018). Patient-Centered Exploration and Innovation to Understand and Ease the Burden of Dialysis, School for the Science of Health Care Delivery Research Poster Symposium, School of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
- Richards, O., Whitman, S., Jelen, B., Siek, K., (June, 2016). Empowering Older Adult Creative Groups with Maker Technology. Indiana University ProHealth REU Presentation. Bloomington, IN, USA
- Whitman, S. (May, 2016). The Quantified Self for Customized Health Care, Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium, School of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
Other Invited Engagements
- Siraj, H., Whitman, S., Kathleen Pine, K., and Lee, M. (June 2022). Risk work in the age of intelligent machines: The informal risk work of individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic, WAIM-22- Work in the Age of Intelligent Machines Working Conference, Washington, D.C., USA
- Richards, O., Whitman, S., Jelen, B., Siek, K. (October 2016). Empowering Older Adult Creative Groups with Maker Technology. CUR's 2016 Research Experiences for Undergraduates Symposium. Arlington, VA, USA
- Arizona State University's Graduate College Completion Fellowship Recipient | 2023-2024
- Honorable Mention for Best Paper at ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems | May 2021
- Ph.D. Student Recipient of 2021 SFIS Annual Charter Awards in Excellence | Fall 2021
- Arizona State University’s Graduate Research Assistant Scholarship - $15,715 | Fall 2017
- Arizona State University’s Dean’s Undergraduate Research Scholarship - $500 | Spring 2016
- Indiana University ProHealth R.E.U. Best Peer Reviewer | July 2016
- Indiana University ProHealth R.E.U. Honorable Mention for Best Project Presentation | July 2016
- Indiana University ProHealth R.E.U. Best Paper | July 2016
- Dean's List of ASU’s School of Nutrition and Health Promotion | Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016
School for the Future of Innovation in Society - Graduate Student Researcher | August 2015 – Present Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- Developed and carried out studies using qualitative methods such as interviews, focus groups, and observational studies on topics related to health information technology, chronic illness management, patient experiences, and improving access to care
- Led an array of qualitative research with remote collaborators including investigating the perceived individual risks related to COVID-19, how city officials utilize civic technology data, and local disability-related information landscapes across agencies and websites
- Investigated personalized health tools for chronically ill patients to collect data and inform patient-centered care
- Authored and co-authored 6 peer-reviewed academic articles
- Presented research findings at academic and healthcare institution conferences
College of Health Solutions - Patient Work Translational Team Co-Lead | December 2021 – February 2024
Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona
- Led projects exploring patient work required to obtain medical diagnoses and care for the condition of endometriosis
- Developed experiential learning modules and mentored undergraduate students in health services research
- Co-authored blog post discussing impact of Dobbs v Jackson Supreme Court decision on reproductive healthcare and Science and Technology Studies scholarship
- Expanded network and brought in new collaborators and research projects and interventions to address the invisible work of patients using a transdisciplinary, community-engaged approach
Knowledge & Evaluation Research Unit - Health Services Researcher | June 2017 – December 2023
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
- Collaborated with Mayo Clinic research team on analyzing patient experiences and burdens associated with chronic kidney disease treatments
- Secured $50K grant funding and collaborated with Mayo Clinic research team on analyzing patient experiences and burdens associated with chronic kidney disease treatments
- Administered interviews evaluating academic achievements of clinician health services researchers in career development programs
- Published journal publications on topics of patient experiences, improving care, and clinician-scientist career development
- Presented at and led workshops at Mayo health services research conferences
Food Hub Feasibility Study - Rural Food Production Evaluation Intern | January 2017 – August 2017
Local First Arizona Foundation, Phoenix, Arizona
- Studied rural food production with county economic development corporation collaborator to engage and serve rural Eastern Arizona region
- Assisted in running public forums to present study and integrate local knowledge through surveys and testimony
- Evaluated and blogged about local rural producers to spotlight existing businesses
- Created digital toolkit providing overview of data, funding, policies, and community support for local producers
The ProHealth Informatics R.E.U – Undergraduate Student Researcher | May 2016 – July 2016
Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
- Conducted 10-week research on designing, developing, and evaluating intelligent, pervasive systems, including mobile and wearable health technologies, to create personalized recommendations and empower proactive health management for the broader U.S. population.
- Explored quantitative and qualitative data investigating how craft-based participatory designs can establish research methods for implementing technology to empower older adults to take charge of their health.
- Awarded “Best Paper,” “Best Peer Reviewer,” and “Best Presentation;” and showcased work at NSF’s R.E.U. Symposium
SFIS Graduate Student Organization—Communications Director | August 2019 – May 2020
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
- Board Member of the School for the Future of Innovation in Society’s Graduate Student Organization (GSO) which serves as the student leadership for all students enrolled in degree-seeking programs in SFIS at Arizona State University. The SFIS GSO acts as a voice for the student body in meetings and other communications with the faculty and staff of the school.
- Voted as Communications Director which maintains updated content on the SFIS GSO website, Facebook Group/Page, Instagram, and other SFIS GSO media.
- Responsible for publicizing meetings, events, and affairs of the SFIS GSO.
- Accountable for sending all-student emails, generating graphics to promote events as needed, and submitting information to digital signs and the SFIS newsletter(s).
Graduate & Professional Student Association—At Large Representative | November 2017 – May 2018
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
- Committee member of Professional Development which supports the administration of Travel Grant Programs, as well as promoting and executing numerous events throughout the year which support graduate student needs to advance in their future aspirations and goals in their professional life.
- Part of the Internal Affairs which reviews Travel Grant Programs in addition to other ASU awards programs including the Teaching Excellent Award that fall into the graduate student community
- Government Operations committee member where our assembly supports the office of the Assembly President where we conduct the GPSA’s business and assist reviewing, updating, and recommending policy content for the Assembly.