Fall 2026 University Scholar Series: Breaking Through the Noise

Hosted by the Office of the Provost in partnership with the SJSU King Library, this series provides a unique opportunity to showcase the important research and scholarly activities of SJSU faculty members. This semester's series will be completely in person.

Medical and health information is intimidating and confusing, especially when it’s emotionally fraught or distorted by politics. In this presentation, Dana Ragouzeos shares how her 15 years as a designer embedded in health care settings fueled a passion for breaking through misunderstandings and demystifying health topics. She’ll share her most recent work visualizing reproductive health and abortion rights data- designed not to change minds, but to inform and empower those whose rights have been removed and those who step up alongside them. She’ll connect seemingly unrelated topics as sleep testing, Berlin museums, liver enzymes, change management, the American flag, maxi pads, and yes, even a bit on generative AI policy.

Dana Ragouzeos is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Design at San José State University. She has worked as a product and service designer within health care organizations across the United States, including Mayo Clinic, Kaiser Permanente, UCSF, and Aspen Labs. She has developed iconography and data visualization for patient education, implemented system-wide employee recognition platforms, and developed multimedia educational materials on the delivery of equitable gender-based and gender-affirming care. Dana received her BA in Architecture from Smith College and MFA in Industrial + Interaction Design from CCA. She has taught classes on design research, data visualization, typography, and health care design at Cal State East Bay, California College of the Arts, and UC Berkeley.