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Ritu Agarwal

“I was one of seven women in an MBA cohort of 98 people over three decades ago. We’ve come a long way since then! I feel honored to be among early women in STEM disciplines, trained in mathematics and computer science before coming to business. If I can inspire young women and junior colleagues to not be constrained by stereotypes and strike out to follow their passion, I would be gratified.”

2019
First woman Distinguished University Professor at the Robert H. Smith School of Business
First woman Endowed Chair at the Robert H. Smith School of Business
Professor & Senior Associate Dean
Decision, Operations & Information Technologies
Robert H. Smith School of Business

Ritu Agarwal is a Distinguished University Professor, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Research, and the Robert H. Smith Dean’s Chair of Information Systems at the Robert H. Smith School of Business.  She is also the Founding Director of the Center for Health Information and Decision Systems (CHIDS) at the Smith School.  Dr. Agarwal has published over 100 articles in journals such as Information Systems Research, MIS Quarterly, Management Science, Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, Health Affairs, and made presentations at a variety of national and international conferences.  Her current research is focused on the digital transformation of healthcare, health analytics, and artificial intelligence applications in health. Dr. Agarwal’s research has been featured in major media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, National Public Radio, and elsewhere. She is deeply passionate about using her research capabilities and advocacy to improve the practice and delivery of healthcare.