Dan Gillette, Ed.M.

Dan Gillette works at the intersection of design and culture, with a special focus on co-design, education, public health, disability, civic life, and healthcare. As a designer, Dan has guided the design of a communication device for children with autism; virtual worlds; smart spaces; environmental sensing systems; precision medicine apps; accessible voting interfaces; healthcare at-a-distance systems; innovation curricula for all levels of the education system; educational software; museum exhibits; new research and design methodologies; experimental protocols; social networks, science engagement services; machine vision systems; fellowship programs in both academia and industry; and touch, voice, gesture, aural, and haptic interfaces. As a researcher, he has served on state, national, and international committees and workgroups focused on topics including healthcare without walls, computer accessibility standards, artificial intelligence, autism, nursing education, and job readiness.

Currently, Dan serves program director of the PHI Design Center at the Public Health Institute (PHI), and as co-director of Tech for Social Good and senior research scientist at the Center for Information Technology in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) at UC Berkeley. Additionally, he continues to work in industry as a product, experience, and curriculum designer in private practice. Previously, Dan was a cofounder of InWorld Solutions, which provided virtual reality tools for the behavioral healthcare market. He was also chair of the Innovative Technology for Autism Initiative from 2002–2008; has held research and teaching positions at UC Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon University, and Stanford University; and has worked as a learning specialist in private practice, K-12 schools, and universities. Before getting involved in education and design, Dan had a ten year career as a musician and composer.

Dan holds a B.A. in human development from the Lesley College Graduate School, and an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.