We Are Smith: Ritu Agarwal

Ritu's research influences the shift to electronic medial records.

As many as 98,000 people die each year as a result of medical errors - Ritu Agarwal founded CHIDS to change this statistic. Standing at the forefront of healthcare technology, she leads the charge in converting medical records to an electronic format to reduce error and save lives. 

We push the boundaries of research with world-class faculty. We Are Smith.

What career achievement makes you most proud?

As I reflect back on the 25 odd years that I have been a faculty member, I think the answer to this question really changes. Early in my career I would feel a sense of achievement each time I had a paper accepted at a top journal. Later on, as I started guiding doctoral students, I would take pride in their achievements, such as getting placed at a top school or getting tenure at a research university. More recently, in the past 7-8 years I am most proud of founding the Center for Health Information and Decision Systems. When it was set up, it was the first center of its kind in any business school across the nation addressing the challenges and opportunities created by digital technologies in, arguably, one of the most consequential sectors of the economy, both from an economic and a social welfare perspective. Since that time many top business schools have created related centers or started new programs in this area. So in some sense we were the pioneers and thought leaders. The work that the center does is very gratifying and has significant implications for academia, for practice, and for policy makers. I am proud of the way the center has flourished, the robust ecosystem of partners that we have built, and the vibrant set of on-going research activities.

If you could meet any historical figure, who would it be?

I would like to meet Mahatma Gandhi. He is one of the most inspiring individuals of the 20th century. His accomplishments are well known, but I would really like to get to know Gandhi as the scholar and intellectual that he was. I recently read his correspondence with poet Rabindranath Tagore, one of his contemporaries and a Nobel prize winner in Literature. The depth and complexity of that interaction is striking, as is the range of the intellectual landscape that they traversed. His humor is also remarkable.

What is the most interesting thing you have in your office?

On the wall behind my desk I have a collection of three close-up photographs of the most amazing frogs that you have probably ever seen in your life. My nephew, who is doing his PhD in ecology and systematics and studies the frog and lizard species, took them. He is a talented photographer and the photos illustrate aspects of nature that most of us overlook in our daily lives.

What drives your passion for Smith?

I would have to say it is the intellectual stimulation provided by talented colleagues, some of the best scholars in the world, and doctoral students. It never ceases to amaze me as I observe the metamorphosis of an eager but naïve doctoral student from their first year to the time they are transformed into bright young scholars. I don’t think they themselves realize how much they have developed and learned!

If you could give advice to a large group of people, what would it be?

The answer depends on the audience. For students and young colleagues in academia, the advice would be to engage in research that they are truly passionate about, where the research is part of some larger issue that motivates and drives them. I have a true belief that research can make a difference for society at large, and it is not simply an arcane activity that produces insights for limited consumption by other academics. For executives and policymakers, my advice would be to leverage what the academics do. To engage with academic research and scholarship so that they can both learn from it as well proactively shape and guide the science towards the pressing questions in their spheres.

You have a completely open weekend – where are you and what are you doing?

That’s easy. I am on a trail on a mountain in a national park in Utah or Colorado or the Himalayas with a backpack and no more than 1 or 2 companions. If I cannot get to those places, the C&O canal will have to do.

Who are your heroes in real life?

My father. He is 83 years old and works harder than I do. I have never met anyone who is so committed to making the world a better place. He has seen some of the most venal aspects of society and he continues to be an optimistic and idealist. There is no issue that is too small for his attention, from activating a community to fix the neighborhood park, to setting up a free school for under-privileged girls, to founding a hospital for free eye care. I wish I had his energy and commitment!

If money were no object, what one project would you tackle at Smith?

I have recently become interested in conducting experiments grounded in behavioral economics to study questions related to choices in healthcare settings by both patients and doctors. If I had the resources, I would love to set up a lab where such experiments can be conducted. I believe this would give us a unique resource to conduct some really leading-edge research.

If you were to die and come back as a thing, what would it be?

A spaceship. I always wanted to “boldly” go into outer space where “no one has gone before.” Since it is unlikely to happen in my lifetime, if I came back as a space ship I could see what lies beyond the earth.

You have a lunch meeting at Ledo – what’s on your pizza?

I’m not a big fan of pizza. But if it’s the only thing available for lunch, mushrooms, green peppers, and spinach.

What’s your favorite memory from your time at Smith?

I have no particular memory that dominates others. There are several good memories – a brilliant research seminar by a visitor, a particularly engaging class with students, a leisurely lunch the South Campus dining hall with colleagues.

If you won the lottery, what would you buy?

Winning the lottery is not something I fantasize about at all. I can’t think of anything I would want to buy.

The We Are Smith campaign highlights the dedicated faculty, staff, students and alumni at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Each person featured fits into one of Smith’s four brand pillars: world-class faculty and research; entrepreneurial spirit; experiential learning; and collaborative community. #WeAreSmith @SmithSchool on Twitter.