My name is Holly Witteman and this Website is part of my Ph.D. thesis in
Human Factors (a branch of Industrial Engineering) at the University of
Toronto. I am a doctoral fellow in the Health Care, Technology and Place
program.
My research interests have to do with modeling health information needs as
a function of individual characteristics and preferences; development of
novel methods for increasing the personal relevance of Web-based health
information; visualization methods for communicating complex numerical
information; design, usability and impact of Websites; and online
influences in individuals' health decision-making. My interest in prostate
cancer specifically was highlighted when a close family member was
diagnosed with the disease.
Supervisor and Mentors
I am supervised by Dr. Mark Chignell in Mechanical and Industrial
Engineering. Dr. Murray Krahn in Medicine, Pharmacy and Health Policy,
Management and Evaluation also provides mentorship. Dr. Krahn originally
developed the Patient-Oriented Prostate Utility Scale (PORPUS), a scale to
measure Quality of Life specifically in men with prostate cancer. I am
grateful for advice from my thesis committee members, Dr. Mike Carter and
Dr. Gunther Eysenbach, my other HCTP mentor, Dr. Nadine Wathen, and all the
health care providers, staff and patients at the Princess Margaret Prostate
Centre who have given generously of their time and expertise to help with
this research.
Funding
This research is funded through Ph.D. fellowships. The early part of my
Ph.D. was funded through a doctoral fellowship under a Large Centre
Strategic Training Grant from the Canadian Prostate Cancer Research
Initiative. The latter half of my Ph.D. is being funded by a doctoral
fellowship from the Health Care, Technology and Place (HCTP) Research
Training Program, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research
(CIHR), the Supporting Institutes (Knowledge Translation Branch,
Institution of Health Services and Policy Research, and Institute of Gender
and Health).
The information contained
in this web site is intended for educational use only. It should
not be used to diagnose or treat illness. Nor should it replace
the advice of your physician. [contact
webmaster]
My name is Holly Witteman and this Website is part of my Ph.D. thesis in
Human Factors (a branch of Industrial Engineering) at the University of
Toronto. I am a doctoral fellow in the Health Care, Technology and Place
program.
