• University of California, San Francisco, PhD in Sociology, San Francisco, CA, Ongoing
• Boston University, Master of Science in Medical Anthropology & Cross-Cultural Practice, Boston, Massachusetts, 2017
• California Polytechnic University, Bachelor of Science in Anthropology & Geography, San Luis Obispo, CA, 2013

Jeff is a sociologist and user researcher passionate about utilizing technologies to improve people's health and care. He draws on qualitative and ethnographic methods to understand and incorporate people's lived experiences in user-centered research to improve technologies, systems, and organizations. At Anthro-Tech, Jeff is responsible for collecting and analyzing user input and feedback for our clients to ensure their products and services align with customer needs.

Jeff entered the UX industry through multiple ethnographic research projects within healthcare organizations. These projects exposed Jeff to the many ways clinicians, staff, and patients rely daily on technologies. This motivated him to engage in user research towards social impacts within the industry and expand that to new sectors.

Prior to joining Anthro-Tech, Jeff was a games user researcher at PlayStation where he drew on qualitative and quantitative methods to support game studios throughout the development process. He also worked as a qualitative health researcher at the Veteran's Health Administration examining user experiences and the multiple uses of the My HealtheVet patient portal and other e-health tools.

Jeff is currently finishing his PhD in Sociology at the University of California, San Francisco. His dissertation explores how video games may act as everyday spaces to explore relationships to mental health as players encounter video games that tell stories and contain content about mental health. Outside of work, Jeff, perhaps unsurprisingly, enjoys playing video games, hiking through redwood forests with his wife, binging TV on the couch with his two cats, and scuba diving.

Cause that means the most to you

Normalizing mental health and equitable access to mental healthcare

Favorite place in the world

Northern Laos

Can’t live without

Laughter, community, and Trader Joe’s Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

It may surprise you

I went scuba diving between the North American and European continental plates in Iceland. The water was 2 degrees Fahrenheit above freezing!

Alternative universe career(s)

Travel/tour guide, owner of a breakfast burrito food truck

Associations

• American Sociological Association
• National Science Foundation
• Society for Disability Studies
• Society for Social Studies of Science

Published Work

• The Promise of Patient Portals for Individuals Living With Chronic Illness: Qualitative Study Identifying Pathways of Patient Engagement
• Impact of Patient-Clinical Team Secure Messaging on Communication Patterns and Patient Experience: Randomized Encouragement Design Trial
• My HealtheVet Supports Veterans' Management of Diabetes