Stephanie Shimada, Ph.D., is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Health Law, Policy and Management at the Boston University School of Public Health and a Research Health Scientist at the Center for Health Optimization and Implementation Research (CHOIR), a Veterans Health Administration Research Center of Innovation. Dr. Shimada's research focuses on the evaluation and implementation of virtual care technologies to improve the provision of patient-centered care, improve access and health outcomes, and minimize disparities in healthcare. Her work has focused on the VA's My HealtheVet personal health record and patient portal and its prominent features such as Secure Messaging, patient self-management support through SMS text messaging, VA mobile apps and Patient Generated Health Data. Dr. Shimada received her PhD in Health Policy from Harvard University and completed her postdoctoral training as a VA Health Services Research Fellow at the Center for Healthcare Quality, Outcomes, and Economic Research (CHQOER). She is a former VA Career Development Awardee and currently serves as Co-Director of the Advanced Fellowship in Health Systems Research at CHOIR.