Accessible, Individualized Healthcare through Programmable Wearable Systems

Healthcare inequities arise from multiple factors, including geographic barriers, aging populations, and socioeconomic disparities. Developing programmable wearable systems to produce targeted therapeutic responses offers a pathway for clinicians to remotely prescribe physical and chemical interventions, potentially expanding access to care and reducing inequities. In this talk, I present an ecosystem for achieving accessible and individualized healthcare through programmable wearable systems. I will highlight several applications of programmed soft materials to mechanically and chemically intervene in users' health, approaches that empower clinicians to fabricate and customize these devices themselves, and conclude with sensors and other systems that support patients while enabling more sustainable medical devices.
 

Heather Kim is a postdoctoral researcher at the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University, working with Prof. Cara Nunez. Her research develops soft material-based wearable devices that promote user health and are co-designed with clinicians. Her work has been recognized with honors including EECS Rising Stars 2023, AAAS Postdoctoral Talk 2025, and Cornell's Postdoctoral Excellence Award 2025. Heather’s research has been published in leading venues such as IEEE IROS, Haptics Symposium, ACM CHI, IMWUT, DIS, and TEI, including multiple Best Paper Honorable Mention awards. Her work has also attracted media attention from outlets including the Daily Mail, New Atlas, Trend Hunter, Hackster.io, and the Cornell Chronicle.