Team Leader
Rachana Talekar
Texas A&M School of Public Health
Health Behavior
talekar@tamu.edu
Project Type
Research
Who Can Join
Masters Students, Undergraduate Students
Project Description
This project focuses on understanding health system, specifically telehealth in rural areas and developing an agent-based model using NetLogo. Students will examine health behaviors, telehealth utilization, and engage in model development. They will identify key factors influencing decision-making and interactions within healthcare systems, such as patient behavior, technology adoption, and clinical processes, and represent these as agents, rules, and interactions in the model. The project emphasizes translating theoretical concepts into model design and exploring patterns that emerge from simulated interactions. No prior modeling experience is required. Participants will gain hands-on experience in transforming conceptual frameworks into a functional simulation.
Team Needs
• Curiosity about health technology, telehealth, or health services research.
• Interest in health behavior or implementation science, especially UTAUT and CFIR.
• Comfort learning basic computer modeling in NetLogo.
• Willingness to read and synthesize research, contribute to model design, and brainstorm scenarios.
• Interest in teamwork and creative problem-solving.
• Reliable laptop or desktop computer access with internet connection, headphones, and video/audio capabilities (Zoom and Microsoft Teams).
• Commitment and accountability to a regular weekly schedule of 1-2 hours each week
Special Opportunities
• Learn how theoretical frameworks like UTAUT and CFIR can be applied to real-world health technology challenges.
• Gain hands-on experience designing an agent-based model in NetLogo to simulate telehealth clinic utilization.
• Explore how patient and provider behaviors, organizational context, and technology factors interact to shape adoption and satisfaction.
• Explore how telehealth interventions can address barriers to care such as distance, cost, and stigma.
• Gain hands-on experience in agent-based modeling using NetLogo and visualize healthcare access patterns in rural and underserved communities.
• Collaborate with peers from multiple disciplines, gaining exposure to health systems science research methods.