Personnel
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Nishita Rai, Executive Director
Nishita Rai takes care of all Human Resources, Operations and Professional Development for the HIT Lab. She is currently enrolled in a Doctoral Program in Social & Organizational Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia Universty. Nishita has a Masters Degree in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University and a Masters in Applied Psychology from the University of Delhi, India where she graduated summa cum laude from the program. Prior to moving to the United States, Nishita worked as part of the human resources team of a large pharmaceutical company and a software services organization in India. She has also worked with educational institutions in carrying out research as well as conducting intervention programs with school children. Nishita has co-authored a book entitled, “Groups That Work”, a cross disciplinary guide to running successful groups. She has also co-authored a chapter in the book – “Value Inculcation, a Path to Happiness”. Her research interests include cross-cultural dynamics, empowerment, personality differences and the self.
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Stan Kachnowski, Chair, Research
Stan is one of America’s distinguished scholars in healthcare information policy and management having taught e-health and healthcare e-business for nearly 20 years. He has authored over 100 scholarly papers and presentations for the world’s leading journals and societies in healthcare technology management, informatics and e-governance. In 2003 he was elected as a Fellow in the Royal Society of Medicine in the United Kingdom for his research with the National Health Service in using handhelds to track patient data. In 1996 he was elected to the US-based College of Healthcare Information Management Executives. Stan is currently a visiting professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, India.
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Sara Augustine, Research Fellow
sma2134 (at) hitlab.org
Sara is originally from a five-acre country home just bordering Rochester, Minnesota. She obtained an International Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Wisconsin with a major in Nutritional Sciences and a minor in African Studies. Sara’s interest in international health sparked when she was 14 years old traveling on an International Zoological Expedition deep into the heart of the Belize rainforest. Her interest only sharpened while working as an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin’s Nutritional Sciences’ Vitamin A laboratory studying global Vitamin A deficiencies and with the Plant Pathology department in conjunction with the USDA examining Rice Blast Disease (common to SE Asia). Following graduation, she moved to the small island of Manhattan to try her hand at a job outside the wet lab. She started working at St. Vincent’s Hospital within the Community Health Resources Department which solidified her passion for healthcare and its accessibility. She is currently attending Columbia University’s Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Program. Evenings and weekends are filled with soccer, basketball, comedy shows, reading the paper, and biking.
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Ashley Edwards, Research Fellow
Ashley studied at Columbia University for five years, obtaining degrees in two very contrasting disciplines: a BS in chemical engineering and a BA in visual arts. Following graduation she assisted Sheila Rothman at the Center for the Study of Society and Medicine researching the social consequences of genetic technology. She also worked for the web company CareerMD. In addition to work at the HIT Lab Ashley works as an educator for Lululemon. Ashley’s interest in science, the body & modernization, and healthcare permeate both her art work and professional endeavors. Ashley enjoys yoga, running, cooking, reading, and travel.
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