Maura Kepper’s research focuses on transforming care for individuals living with or at risk for multiple chronic conditions. Her work engages patients, families, clinicians and community partners to design interventions that deliver personalized, context-aware care across clinical and community settings.
A significant area of her research harnesses technology and big data to promote healthy behaviors, such as physical activity and healthy food intake, while addressing the social and structural factors that shape health. By integrating behavioral health, informatics and implementation science, Kepper develops innovative and sustainable solutions, and increases the reach and sustainability of evidence-based care.
Kepper co-directs the Health Design and Impact Lab and works with the School of Public Health’s Prevention Research Center and WashU’s Institute for Informatics, Data Science & Biostatistics, reflecting the lab’s multidisciplinary approach. She is an active member in the American Heart Association’s Social Determinants of Health committee and co-chairs the Society of Behavioral Medicine’s Digital Health Special Interest Group.
Prior to joining Washington University, she completed postdoctoral training at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She received her doctorate degree in Public Health from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. Kepper is a member the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society.
Areas of Focus:
- Behavioral informatics
- Social determinants of health
- Chronic disease
- Dissemination and implementation research
Featured Publications
- Satisfaction and effectiveness of a digital health tool to improve health behavior counseling among adolescent and young adult cancer survivors: a randomized controlled pilot trial
BMC Digital Health
February 2024 - Integrating social needs into health care: an implementation science perspective
Annual Review of Public Health
June 2025 - Supporting teams with designing for dissemination and sustainability: the design, development, and usability of a digital interactive platform
Implementation Science
December 2024 - How to design equitable digital health tools: a narrative review of design tactics, case studies, and opportunities
PLOS Digital Health
August 2024