Rebecca Allen

Hello students and academic community members!

I am Rebecca Allen, PhD, Chair of the Department of Computer Science and Mathematics at Mount St. Joseph University. My work focuses on artificial intelligence, natural language processing, health communication, patient education, and the use of technology for the common good.

I began my career as a linguist and computational linguist, studying how language works and how computers can help us analyze communication. Over time, my work expanded into programming, web development, entrepreneurship, educational technology, and applied AI. I later earned my PhD in Educational Studies at the University of Cincinnati, where I focused on computational linguistics, language acquisition, and how people learn with and through technology.

Much of my recent research explores how artificial intelligence and language technologies can help us better understand medical information, patient needs, and healthcare communication. I have worked on projects related to kidney disease education, dialysis and conservative kidney management decision-making, kidney transplant information transparency, patient-facing educational materials, and the use of natural language processing to analyze large collections of health-related text.

At the Mount, I also work on AI literacy and responsible AI education. I am interested in helping students, faculty, healthcare professionals, and community members understand what AI is, how it works, and how it can be used thoughtfully. My goal is to prepare students not only to use AI tools, but also to ask good questions about ethics, evidence, access, bias, and human impact.

I enjoy publishing with students, faculty colleagues, clinicians, and community partners. If you are a student interested in AI, health communication, natural language processing, medical education, patient-centered research, or student success, please come visit me. I am always happy to talk about possible projects — and I often have tea and cookies in my office!

You can read my CV for a complete list of publications, presentations, grants, and professional activities. You can also connect with me through LinkedIn and ORCID, or follow the Center for IT Engagement on Instagram.

Want to Get Started with AI?

One resource our department uses to support AI learning is DataCamp. DataCamp offers beginner-friendly, hands-on courses that can help students build practical skills in artificial intelligence, data, programming, and prompt engineering.
A good starting point is: Understanding Prompt Engineering (https://www.datacamp.com/courses/understanding-prompt-engineering).This course introduces students to prompt engineering and helps them practice writing effective prompts for tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI systems. It is designed as a beginner-friendly introduction with hands-on exercises.

Selected Publications

Transparency in Kidney Transplant Recipient Selection Criteria

Rivera, B., Canizares, S., Cojuc-Konigsberg, G., Holub, O., Nakonechnyi, A., Chumdermpadetsuk, R. R., Ladin, K., Allen, R. J., & Pawar, A. (2025).
“Transparency in Kidney Transplant Recipient Selection Criteria: A Nationwide Analysis Using AI.” JMIR AI.
Link: https://ai.jmir.org/2025/1/e74066

In this article, we analyze transparency in kidney transplant recipient selection criteria using AI-assisted methods to better understand what information is publicly available to patients and clinicians.

Questions Older People and Caregivers Ask About Kidney Therapies

Allen, R. J., Nakonechnyi, A., Norton, S. A., & Saeed, F. (2025).
“Questions Older People and Caregivers Ask About Kidney Therapies: A Computer-Assisted Analysis.” Patient Education and Counseling, 108713.
Link: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12020433/

In this article, we examine questions older adults and caregivers ask about kidney therapies, using computer-assisted analysis to better understand patient concerns, information needs, and decision-making priorities.

Patient Needs and Preferences in Chronic Kidney Disease Education

Allen, R. J., Nakonechnyi, A., Phan, T., Moore, C., Drury, E., Grewal, R., Liebman, S. E., Levy, D., & Saeed, F. (2024).
“Exploring Patient Needs and Preferences in Chronic Kidney Disease Education: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study.” Kidney360, 5(3), 344–351.
Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38270895/

In this article, we examine patient needs and preferences in chronic kidney disease education, with attention to how educational materials can better support informed, patient-centered care.

Online Information on Kidney Failure Treatments

Allen, R., & Saeed, F. (2022).
“Dialysis Provider Organization Online Information on Kidney Failure Treatments: A Content Analysis Using Corpus Linguistics.” Kidney Medicine, 4(6), 1–8.
Link: https://www.kidneymedicinejournal.org/article/S2590-0595(22)00075-9/fulltext

In this article, we examine how kidney disease patients may struggle to find the information they need to make informed choices about treatment. We use computational linguistics — computer-assisted language analysis — to better understand what information is available online.

Connect

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccajaneallen 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0044-2047 
Center for IT Engagement: https://cite.msj.edu/ 
cITe Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msjcite/