Ritu Agarwal is an expert in the strategic use of health analytics, information technology, healthcare digital transformation, and AI applications in health.
Prior to joining Carey, she was a Distinguished University Professor and Dean’s Chair of Information Systems at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park, where she was also the Founding Director of the Center for Health Information and Decision Systems (CHIDS). Through CHIDS, Dr. Agarwal has raised over $10 million in funding. She has pioneered research in digital technologies and health at leading business schools, devoting her research efforts to improving healthcare quality, promoting equity and access, and reducing costs. She has published over 100 articles in leading business and health journals. Her work has been covered by the Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, National Public Radio, and elsewhere.
Dr. Agarwal has testified before the National Committee on Health and Vital Statistics and US Department of Health on her research for digital health technologies. She is an appointed member of the Federal Advisory Council for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and has served on the NIH Working Group for Integration of Behavioral and Social Science Research. Her research has been sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, National Institute of Healthcare Management, Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, US Department of Labor, US Department of Justice, NSF, and private corporations.
In 2010 Dr. Agarwal launched the Annual Conference on Health Information Technology and Analytics (CHITA). CHITA, in its 12th year, is a leading research forum at the intersection of technology, analytics, and health and is supported by AHRQ.
She has a PhD in Information Systems from the Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University; an M.S. in Computer Science from the L.C. Smith School of Engineering and Computer Science, Syracuse University; an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta; and a B.A. (Honors) in Mathematics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University.
