Janette Mujica
I am a first-year PhD student in Digital Transformation and Innovation at the University of Ottawa. I study how patients, clinicians, and engineers co-design AI self-care chatbots for chronic conditions. My goal is to help those developing AI technologies meaningfully include end users to align with their best interests.I am fortunate to be supervised by Professor Sylvie Grosjean, and to have Professors Lysanne Lessard and Mayur Joshi on my doctoral committee, whose expertise spans socio-technical design, digitally enabled services and technology & organizing.
Heartfelt thanks
My research is made possible through the support of:
- 2026 uOttawa Engineering Doctoral's Admission Scholarship ($36,000 / 48 months)
- 2026 PD-TIPS-AI Fellowship, CIHR Funded Research ($110,000 / 48 months)
- 2026 SSHRC Master's Canada Graduate Scholarship ($27,000 / 12 months)
- 2025 Ontario Graduate Scholarship ($15,000 / 12 months)
- 2024 uOttawa Engineering Master's Admission Scholarship ($7,500 / 12 months)
About me and my research
Since fall 2024, I have worked as a research assistant at the Com&Tech Innovation Lab, directed by Sylvie Grosjean, codesigning self-care technologies for people living with Parkinson’s. I have gained experience in qualitative research, participatory design and prototyping, transforming qualitative insights into tangible outcomes.Before my studies in Digital Transformation and Innovation, I completed training in Innovation Management at HEC Montréal, Digital Humanities and Computer Science at Université de Montréal. Before academia, I worked for more than a decade as an executive assistant in consulting, legal, financial organizations which has enhanced my ability to collaborate with professionals with sometimes divergent priorities across different organizational cultures.
I study AI chatbots, which are becoming increasingly popular in healthcare and represent a socio-technical phenomenon. People, especially those living in underserved rural areas or seeking information outside clinic hours, are reported to use chatbots for health-related questions. However, health professionals are expressing concerns about the risks, such as inaccurate or unreliable information. This issue is significant in Canada, where around 44% of adults over 20 live with at least one chronic condition.
As people live longer with these conditions, healthcare systems face increasing demands. Some people are optimistic that AI chatbots can help alleviate this burden. Others express concerns that end-users such as patients are not be meaningfully involved in the development and governance of AI tools, which goes against their best interests.