Rachael Paine is an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design and Human-Centered Design in the Graphic Design Program at Virginia Tech. With over 13 years of experience as a Creative Director and Brand Strategist, she brings deep industry insight to her academic work. Rachael holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Graphic Design and a Ph.D. in Design from North Carolina State University. Prior to her current position, she worked as a user experience designer for SAS Institute, a multinational analytics software company. Rachael’s research explores how design shapes understanding, decision-making, and agency within complex systems, with a focus on healthcare contexts. Her work spans health communication and health literacy, particularly in relation to rare diseases and public health. She also investigates speculative design as a method for reimagining healthcare experiences, using immersive exhibitions and interactive environments to explore alternative models of care. In parallel, Rachael studies design pedagogy, specializing in the development of workshop-based learning frameworks that support experimentation, collaboration, and critical engagement with emerging technologies. Her work often integrates human-centered design methods, qualitative research, and experience design to create interventions that are both conceptually rigorous and practically grounded.