DINS PhD Student Speaker Series, an ongoing series of presentations by DINS PhD students, explores the next generation of scholarship about networks, information, and human behavior.

Abstract: Needle phobia, which affects 19% of young children, prevents many children from receiving necessary or preventative medical treatments. Digital interventions have been made to target needle phobia, but currently rely on distraction rather than evidence-based exposures. In a collaboration between clinical psychologists and information scientists at Pitt, we created one such intervention that takes an alternative approach: Dr. Zoo, a mobile game that applies exposure therapy techniques to assist young children (3-6 years old) in overcoming their needle anxiety. In this talk, Pat will discuss the design and evaluation of Dr. Zoo in a mixed-methods study.

Bio: Pat Healy is a game designer and Ph.D. student in the Department of Informatics and Networked Systems (DINS) at the University of Pittsburgh working under Dr. Dmitriy Babichenko. Their work focuses on serious games across a variety of subject areas, including medicine, music, and political rhetoric. This is their 4th year of the PhD but 8th year at Pitt, having completed a triple bachelor's in Computer Science, Information Science, and Philosophy in 2019.