Karen Bouchard

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Dr. Karen Bouchard is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of cardiovascular medicine and human-robot interaction. Her work focuses on the integration of social robots into chronic disease management, particularly for heart failure patients—a population facing high morbidity and healthcare costs. Bouchard’s major contribution lies in empirically investigating the feasibility and perceived value of deploying socially assistive robots to augment virtual care. Her most cited paper, “The Social Robots Are Coming” (2022, 4 citations), serves as a foundational call to action, outlining the potential for robotic companions to transform cardiovascular care delivery. She further advanced this field through a qualitative study (2023, 3 citations) that captured cardiology professionals’ perspectives on robot-assisted patient support, revealing critical insights into clinical acceptance and design needs. Her 2025 work formalizes the theoretical framework for robot integration in heart failure management. Although her citation counts are modest, Bouchard’s research is highly timely, addressing the urgent need for scalable, technology-driven solutions in an aging population. Her work bridges engineering, ethics, and clinical practice, positioning her as a key voice in the emerging dialogue on socially intelligent healthcare technologies.