Roger Altizer

Roger Altizer, PhD

Languages spoken: English

Academic Information

Departments Primary - Population Health Sciences

Roger Altizer, Jr. is an associate professor in Population Health Science: Division of Health Systems Innovation and Research. He is the co-director of the Digital Health Inititative, the founding director of the Therapeuatic Games and Apps Lab (The GApp Lab), the co-founder of the Entertainment Arts and Engineering (which has become the Division of Games), a nationally top-ranked game design program, the former Director of Digital Medicine for the Center for Medical Innovation, and former director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Art and Technology at the University of Utah. Roger earned his Ph.D. in Communication at Utah and specializes in serious and medical games, game design, participatory design, and co-development. He has developed and researched nearly 80 games and apps ranging from VR and AR experiences to provide physical therapy and train social workers, to games to help treat older adults with depression and ease discharge from hospitals. He's helped First Nation students creat the first videogame in the Shoshone Language and worked with young adults on the autism spectrum to create a mood management game that combines music, choreography, and virtual realty that was featured at the Sundance Film Festival. His heart and his research focus on the importance of play and how good design encourages it. Creator of The Design Box, a participatory, inductive design methodology, Roger strives to include users as designers in his work. He is an award-winning and internationally recognized speaker who has presented at industry conferences such as the Games Developer Conference and Dragon-Con, and academic conferences including the Digital Games Research Association and Foundations of Digital Games.

Education History

Undergraduate Northwest University
 BA
Graduate Training University of Utah
 MS
Doctoral Training University of Utah
 PhD

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Terrill, A., MacKenzie, J., Reblin, M., Einerson, J., Ferraro, J., Altizer, R. (01/01/2018). Helping Couples With Spinal Cord Injury Get Their Groove Back: Interdisciplinary Online Intervention Development. Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 99(10), e61.
  2. Rothwell, E., Johnson, E., Wong, B., Rose, N.C., Latendresse, G., Altizer, R., Zagal, J., Smid, M., Watson, A. and Botkin, J.R (2018). The Use of a Game-Based Decision Aid to Educate Pregnant Women about Prenatal Screening: A Randomized Controlled Study. American journal of perinatology,
  3. Linder, L.A., Newman, A.R., Stegenga, K., Chiu, Y.S., Wawrzynski, S.E., Kramer, H., Weir, C., Narus, S., Altizer, R (2021). Feasibility and acceptability of a game-based symptom-reporting app for children with cancer: perspectives of children and parents. Supportive care in cancer, 29(1), 301-310. (Read full article)
  4. Morimoto, S.S., Altizer, R., Gunning, F.M., Hu, W., Liu, J., Cote, S.E., Nitis, J., Alexopoulos, G.S (2020). Targeting Cognitive Control Deficits With Neuroplasticity-Based Computerized Cognitive Remediation in Patients With Geriatric Major Depression: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry, 28(9), 971-980. (Read full article)
  5. Christensen, C., Redd, D., Lake, E., Shipman, J.P., Aiono, H., Altizer, R., Bray, B.E., Zeng, Q.T (2018). Doodle Health: A Crowdsourcing Game for the Co-design and Testing of Pictographs to Reduce Disparities in Healthcare Communication. AMIA ... Annual Symposium proceedings. AMIA Symposium, 2017, 585-594. (Read full article)
  6. Rausch, A., Altizer, R., Parry A (2000). Gaikokugo Communication in an Intensive Course Format – Case Study Report and Recommendations. Crossroads (De Kalb, Ill.), 41-61.
  7. Bruggers, C.S., Altizer, R., Kessler, R.R., Caldwell, C.B., Coppersmith, K., Warner, L., Davies, B., Paterson, W., Wilcken, J., D'Ambrosio, T.A., German, M.L., Hanson, G.R., Gershan, L.A., Korenberg, J.R., Bulaj, G (2012). Patient-empowerment interactive technologies. Science translational medicine, 4(152), 152ps16. (Read full article)
  8. Trapp, S.K., Altizer, R., Merryweather, A., Lee, V., Campbell, C., Rivera-Melo, B., Liu, A., Imburgia, R., Waller, L., & Rosenbluth, J (2018). Tilt Tracker: Technical Note on an mHealth System to Monitor and Prevent Ulcer Development among Power Wheelchair Users. Technology and innovation,
  9. Gibson, B., Simonsen, S., Barton, J., Zhang, Y., Altizer, R., Lundberg. K., Wetter, D.W (2021). Motivation and Problem Solving Versus Mobile 360° Videos to Promote Enrollment in the National Diabetes Prevention Program's Lifestyle Change Program Among People With Prediabetes: Protocol for a Randomized Trial. JMIR research protocols, 10(6), e28884. (Read full article)
  10. Terrill, A.L., MacKenzie, J.J., Reblin, M., Einerson, J., Ferraro, J., Altizer, R (2019). A Collaboration Between Game Developers and Rehabilitation Researchers to Develop a Web-Based App for Persons With Physical Disabilities: Case Study. JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologies, 6(2), e13511. (Read full article)
  11. Davis, M., Raines J,. Benson, C., McDonald, C., & Altizer, R (2021). Toward a frameworkfor developing virtual reality skills training in human services. Journal of technology in human services, 39(3), 1-19.
  12. Handman E, Altizer R, Wright C, & Bayles (2020). Choreografish: An Arts-based, Virtual Realisty, Anxiety Intervention for Autism. Groundworks, Ongoing,
  13. Linder LA, Newman A, Bernier Carney KM, Wawrzynski S, Stegenga K, Chiu YS, Jung SH, Iacob E, Lewis M, Linder C, Fox K, Altizer (2022). Symptoms and daily experiences reported by children with cancer using a game-based app. Journal of pediatric nursing, 65, 33-43. (Read full article)
  14. Gibson B, Simonsen S, Jensen JD, Yingling L, Schaefer J, Sundaresh V, Zhang Y, Altizer (2022). Mobile Virtual Reality Versus Mobile 360° Video to Promote Enrollment in the Diabetes Prevention Program Among Hispanic Adults: Pilot Study. JMIR diabetes, 7(1), e26013. (Read full article)
  15. Wallace AS, Wang CY, Flake N, Bristol AA, Altizer (2022). Feasibility and usefulness of the going home toolkit, an mhealth app, during hospital discharge: patient and clinician perspectives. Informatics for health & social care, 1-12. (Read full article)

Book Chapter

  1. Butcher, K., Runburg, M., and Altizer, R (2017). Dino Lab: Designing and Developing an Educational Game for Critical Thinking. 115-148.
  2. Avatars AssembledThe Social and Technical Anatomy of Digital Bodies (2017). Pixels and Polygons: The Stuff of Light Beings.
  3. Altizer, R (2017). Applying Innovation to Patient Education and Behavior. 13-22.
  4. Shipman, J.P., Altizer, R, Zagal, J.P (2017). Interview with Roger Altizer, Ph.D. and José Zagal, Ph.D. 13-22.
  5. Altizer, R (2017). King of All Cosmos.

Conference Proceedings

  1. Altizer, R., Zagal, J., Johnson, E., Wong, B., Anderson, R., Botkin, J., & Rothwell, E (2017). Design Box Case Study: Facilitating Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Participatory Design in Game Development.
  2. Casucci, T., Shipman, J.P., Altizer, R (2014). Surgeons, Librarians and Gamers, Oh My!. 29(3),
  3. Casucci, T., Shipman, J.P., Langell, JT., Altizer, R., Lombardo, N.T., Jarvis, C., Le Ber, J.M., Wimmer, E., & McIntyre, M (2014). Converging Spaces with Innovation Initiatives Leads to Beneficial Collaboration.
  4. Caldwell, C., Kessler, R., Altizer, R., Van Langeveld, M (2012). When the games industry and academia collide: How we impact each other. 39-43.
  5. Kessler, R., van Langeveld, M., Altizer, R (2009). Entertainment Arts and Engineering or How to Fast Track A New Interdisciplinary Program; paper also presented at the SIGSCE 2009 – Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, Chattanooga, TN. 539-43.
  6. Zagal, J.P., Altizer, R (2014). Examining ‘RPG Elements’: Systems of Character Progression [oral presentation also given].
  7. Caldwell, C., Bruggers, C., Altizer, R., Bulaj, G., D'Ambrosio, T., Kessler, R., Christiansen, B (2013). The Intersection of Video Games and Patient Empowerment: Case Study of a Real World Application [oral presentation also given].
  8. Caldwell, C., Kessler, R., Altizer, R., Van Langeveld, M (2012). When the games industry and academia collide: How we impact each other [oral presentation also given]. 1,4, 7-9.
  9. Bills, P., Zagal, J., Shipman, J., Moody, S., Larson, E., Bhavsar, S., Jarvis, C., Casucci, T., Rethlefsen, M/, Lombardo, N., Altizer, R (2015). Saved Games: Librarians Levelling Up With Games For Health.
  10. Zagal, J.P., Altizer, R., Zeng-Treitler, Q., Shipman, J., Lake, E., Aiono, H., Malheiro, M., Christensen, C (2014). Doodle Health: Games as Cultural Probes [oral presentation also given]. 11-2.
  11. Altizer, R., Zagal, J.P (2014). Designing Inside the Box or Pitching Practices in Industry and Education [oral presentation also given].
  12. Altizer, R., Zagal, J.P (2014). Pitch Perfect or Exploring Pitching Practices in Industry and Games Education [oral presentation also given].
  13. Christensen, C., Redd, D., Lake, E., Shipman, J.P., Aiono, H., Altizer, R., Bray, B.E., Zeng, Q.T (2017). Doodle Health: A Crowdsourcing Game for the Co-design and Testing of Pictographs to Reduce Disparities in Healthcare Communication. 2017, 585.
  14. Zagal, JP., & Altizer, R (2015). Placeholder Content in Game Development: Benefits and Challenges. 2015, 745-750.
  15. Linder, L. A., & Altizer, R (2018). Engaging children and healthcare providers in the co-design of a mobile technology-based symptom assessment app.
  16. Gibson, B., Godin, S., Sundaresh, V., Schaeffer, J., Bayles, G., & Altizer, R (2020). Virtual Reality to Change Risk Perceptions and Promote Enrollment in the Diabetes Prevention Program Amongst High Risk Adults. Annals of behavioral medicine, 54, S565-S565.

Abstract

  1. Campbell, C., Mleynek, T., Steele, B., Kulina, M., Smith J., Ferraro, J., Teramoto, M., Lee V., Alizer, R., Rosenbluth, J (2017). Novel assistive device as a training tool for spinal cord sailing simulator. 40(5), 579-604.

Other

  1. Kessler, R., van Langeveld, M., Altizer, R (2009). Entertainment Arts and Engineering or How to Fast Track A New Interdisciplinary Program. 41(1), 539-43.