About Me

I am a Post-doctoral Fellow at the School of Communication and Information (SC&I), at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. Currently, I am working on a research project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The goal of the project is to identify casues of teamwork errors in trauma resuscitation and to find technological or procedural means of improving trauma care.

My dissertation examined collaboration and communication practices of teams during trauma resuscitation. I have employed and extended a mixture of methods from cognitive systems engineering, including observations, interviews, video analysis, and focus groups, to gain insight into the complex work of trauma teams. The study used video recordings of actual trauma resuscitation events for detailed communication and interaction analysis. My dissertation research contributes to CSCW and HCI fields by adding to the understanding of collaboration in large collocated teams; identifying the challenges and opportunities for information technology support of teamwork in time and safety-critical settings; and, providing specific recommendations for technological support of teamwork in trauma resuscitation, a domain of great societal importance.

Broadly speaking, the goal of my research is to understand how individuals within collocated and distributed teams interact, communicate and make decisions while solving complex problems under time pressure. Through the analysis of team cognition, communication, collaboration, decision making, and information seeking, I aim to identify inefficiencies in problem solving and opportunities for technology support. I seek to broaden existing theoretical frameworks on error causation and inform technology design, development, and deployment to support teamwork in time- and safety-critical domains. My approach is multidisciplinary. I combine theoretical frameworks from the fields of cognitive system engineering, cognitive science, communication, and information science to explain human behavior in time-critical situations.

I grew up in a small town in the northern, Serbian province of Vojvodina, called Subotica. I completed my Bachelors degree in Film and TV Production at the Faculty of Drama Arts, in Belgrade, Serbia. Prior to coming to the United States in November 2001, I was involved in selecting and organizing programs for several national and international film festivals. Despite switching careers, film remains my big passion. I love going to the movies and sitting in a front row. I am never late and I always sit through the entire end credits. I am a big fan of Italian neorealism (especially of Fellini and DeSica). Other directors I enjoy include Sergio Leone, Wim Wenders and Milos Forman. As for the American cinematography, I believe the best movies were made between 1970 and 1990. Some of the films I keep coming back to include: M.A.S.H. (Robert Altman), The French Connection (William Friedkin), Cabaret (Bob Fosse), The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola), The Sting (George Roy Hill), The Deer Hunter (Michael Cimino), The Postman Always Rings Twice (Bob Rafelson), Hannah and Her Sisters (Woody Allen), and The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme).

Besides watching movies, I also enjoy reading, outdoor activities like biking and hiking, and traveling.