Distinguished Professor
Simon Fraser University
Founding Director
Pain Studies Lab
Chronic Pain Research Institute

Dr. Diane Gromala, PhD, is a Distinguished Professor at Simon Fraser University, where she is the Founding Director of the Pain Studies Lab and the Chronic Pain Research Institute. Her pioneering VR work builds on her expertise in computer science and patient-centered interaction design, and focuses on clinic-to-home health technologies for managing chronic pain and chronic conditions. Since the 1990s, her innovative VR systems have been clinically tested in hospitals and clinics across the U.S. and Canada.

Dr. Gromala authored over 100 peer-reviewed papers and an MITPress book Windows and Mirrors with Jay Bolter. Her award-winning work began at Apple Computer in the 1980s and top VR labs in the 1990s. It is supported by the NIH/CHIR, the NSF/NSERC, SSHRC; the Paul G. Allen and MacArthur Foundations, and Canada-wide networks of excellence. The technical innovation of Dr. Gromala’s work has recognized by the ACM, IEEE, SIGGRAPH, AIGA, Fulbright, Canada Research Chairs and Google; and featured in numerous media outlets such as the BBC, CBC, CNN, the New York Times, the Discovery Channel, TEDx and Cannes' Health Lions, to name a few.

Dr. Gromala’s multidisciplinary expertise led to new graduate and undergraduate degree programs at Georgia Tech, the University of Washington, the University of Texas, and she reviews such programs worldwide. Dr. Gromala's degrees are from Yale University, the University of Michigan and the University of Plymouth in England.