Biography and education
Barbara Hewitt, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Health Informatics and Information Management at Texas State University, where her work sits at the intersection of information security, AI-enabled healthcare systems, and the human side of technology adoption. She holds a Ph.D. in Information Technology and a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and an MBA from Texas State University.
Before entering academia, Dr. Hewitt brought substantial industry experience as a software developer and systems analyst, a background that shapes her research focus on how people and organizations actually adopt, resist, and work around technology rather than how designers intend them to. Her scholarship on digital health adoption, patient portal trust, telehealth security, and AI in healthcare has appeared in leading journals including Information Systems Frontiers, Health Promotion International, and the Journal of Computer Information Systems.
Dr. Hewitt is a collaborator on two active NSF-funded interdisciplinary projects: ExpandAI, which has built AI curriculum and training infrastructure reaching over 900 learners across 17 departments at Texas State, and STEM-CLEAR, a $2.6 million initiative creating learning pathways across academic and cultural boundaries. She teaches courses in health information security, privacy, risk assessment, and project management, and serves as Graduate Clinical Coordinator for the Masters in Health Information Management.
A nationally recognized advocate for women in computing, she founded San Antonio Women in Information Technology, actively participates as a member of Women in Cyber Security, coordinated the NCWIT Aspiration Award for the San Antonio region for over a decade, and was named Woman of the Year by the Women in IT Awards Silicon Valley.
Before entering academia, Dr. Hewitt brought substantial industry experience as a software developer and systems analyst, a background that shapes her research focus on how people and organizations actually adopt, resist, and work around technology rather than how designers intend them to. Her scholarship on digital health adoption, patient portal trust, telehealth security, and AI in healthcare has appeared in leading journals including Information Systems Frontiers, Health Promotion International, and the Journal of Computer Information Systems.
Dr. Hewitt is a collaborator on two active NSF-funded interdisciplinary projects: ExpandAI, which has built AI curriculum and training infrastructure reaching over 900 learners across 17 departments at Texas State, and STEM-CLEAR, a $2.6 million initiative creating learning pathways across academic and cultural boundaries. She teaches courses in health information security, privacy, risk assessment, and project management, and serves as Graduate Clinical Coordinator for the Masters in Health Information Management.
A nationally recognized advocate for women in computing, she founded San Antonio Women in Information Technology, actively participates as a member of Women in Cyber Security, coordinated the NCWIT Aspiration Award for the San Antonio region for over a decade, and was named Woman of the Year by the Women in IT Awards Silicon Valley.
Teaching Interests
Research Interests
Featured grants
- Qasem, Apan Muhammad (Principal), Royal, Cindy L (Co-Principal), Hewitt, Barbara A (Co-Principal), Booth, Chad (Co-Principal), Ashford-Hanserd, Shetay Nicole (Co-Principal), Sriraman, Vedaraman (Co-Principal), Forsythe, Michelle Elizabeth (Co-Principal), Dolezel, Diane M (Supporting), Omana Sudhakaran, Pratheesh O (Supporting), Lollar, Jonathan Ernest (Supporting), Roundtree, Aimee Kendall (Supporting), Ekin, Tahir (Supporting), Cordero, Rafael A (Supporting), Lopez, Omar S (Supporting), Mendez, Francis A (Supporting). STEM-CLEAR: Creating Contextualized Learning Pathways across Academic and Cultural Boundaries, National Science Foundation, Federal, $2646529. (Submitted: August 8, 2023, Funded: June 1, 2024 - June 2029). Grant.
- Ekin, Tahir (Principal), Tesic, Jelena (Co-Principal), Qasem, Apan Muhammad (Co-Principal), Valles Molina, Damian (Co-Principal), Summers, Lucia (Co-Principal), Hewitt, Barbara A (Supporting), Liu, Xiangping (Supporting), Chang, Carolyn T (Supporting), Mendez, Francis A (Supporting), Irvin, Jennifer A (Supporting), Resendiz, Maria D (Supporting). Expanding AI Curriculum and Infrastructure at Texas State University to Advance Interdisciplinary Research and Grow a Diverse AI Workforce, National Science Foundation, Federal, $400000. (Submitted: June 2023, Funded: January 2024 - December 2026). Grant.
- Deranek, Kimberly (Principal), Percent Contribution: %60, Hewitt, Barbara A (Co-Principal), Percent Contribution: %40. Hybrid Workers: Relationship between Digitalization, the Transition to Hybrid Work, and Supply Chain Agility and Supply Chain Performance, Nova Southeastern University, Institutional (Higher Ed), $5000. (Submitted: January 12, 2023, Funded: May 2023 - May 2024). Grant.
- Hewitt, Barbara (Principal), Percent Contribution: %55, Dolezel, Diane M (Co-Principal), Percent Contribution: %45. Exploring Factors that Influence Ethical Decision-Making in Healthcare, Texas Society of Allied Health Professionals, State Professional Organization, $1500. (Submitted: June 30, 2022, Funded: September 30, 2022 - September 15, 2023). Grant.
- Hewitt, Barbara (Principal), McLeod, Alexander (Co-Principal). Testing Technology Facilitation Theory: An Empirical Study, Texas State University, Institutional (Higher Ed), $13120. (Submitted: December 1, 2015, Funded: January 1, 2016 - May 31, 2017). Grant.
Featured scholarly/creative works
- Myers, D. L., & Hewitt, B. A. (2025). Communication Experiences of Older Black Women Interacting with Healthcare Professionals. Educational Geronotology, 52, 213–225. https://doi.org/DOI - 10.1080/03601277.2025.2482820
- Gibbs, D., Gibbs, K., & Hewitt, B. (2023). Health information management and physiotherapy faculty collaboration to discover the use of health informatics hiding in plain sight in an entry-level DPT program. Health Information Management Journal (HIMJ), 53(1), 34–40. https://doi.org/10.1177/18333583231194750
- Deranek, K., & Hewitt, B. A. (2023). Knowledge Management Model Development and Validation using an ERP Simulation. Journal of Computer Information Systems, 63(5), 1139–1153. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/08874417.2022.2128936
- Hewitt, B. A., Deranek, K., McLeod, A. J., & Gudi, A. (2022). Exercise Motives Impact on Physical Activities Measured Using Wearable Devices. Health Promotion International, 37(3). https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daac071
- Moqbel, M., Hewitt, B. A., Nah, F., & McLean, R. (2022). Sustaining patient portal continuous use: Cognitive dissonance effects of health professional encouragement and security concerns. Information Systems Frontier. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-021-10161-5
Featured awards
- Award / Honor Recipient: Award for Excellence in Online Teaching Runner Up, Office of Distance and Extended Learning. May 2023 - February 28, 2024
- Award / Honor Recipient: College of Health Professions Presidential Service Award, College of Heath Professions. 2022
- Award / Honor Recipient: Texas State University Presidential Service Award, Texas State University. January 2021 - January 2022
- Award / Honor Recipient: The Women in IT Awards Silicon Valley 2018 - Woman of the Year, The Women in IT Awards Silicon Valley 2018. 2018
- Award / Honor Nominee: College of Health Professions Teaching Award, College of Health Professions. December 2016 - February 2017
Featured service activities
- Other
San Antonio Region CyberTech Women (SARCTW)
- Chair
Sue E Biedermann Scholarship Review Committee
- Chair
University Academic Computing Committee
- Coordinator / Organizer
San Antonio Area Aspiration Award Coordinator for National Center for Women in Information and Technology Aspiration Award Recognition
- Chair
San Antonio Women in Information Technology
- Member
University Academic Computing Committee