Kate LaForge
Sociologist. Researcher. Builder of better and safer care.
As a sociologist and health services researcher, I work to understand how health care performs in the real world — and how evidence about safety and effectiveness can improve it. My background is in mental health and crisis care research, where I studied how people find, use, and experience support systems, with an emphasis on equity, patient experience, and technology-based tools.
I now work in real-world evidence at Thermo Fisher Scientific, where I design post-approval studies that evaluate how medical products perform once they reach patients. My work draws on mixed-methods training and experience with observational, survey, and administrative data to generate evidence that informs regulatory decisions and patient care.
Books that have been a big deal for me.
The Pastoral Clinic: Addiction and Dispossession Along the Rio Grande — Angela Garcia
Life under Pressure: The Social Roots of Youth Suicide — Anna S. Mueller & Seth Abrutyn
Feminist, Queer, Crip — Alison Kafer
Addiction by Design — Natasha Dow Schüll
Pressed for Time: The Acceleration of Life in Digital Capitalism — Judy Wajcman
Empire of AI— Karen Hao
The Body Silent— Robert F. Murphy
The Body Multiple: Ontology in Medical Practice— Annemarie Mol
Saving the Modern Soul — Eva Illouz
Life Beside Itself — Lisa Stevensen
Currently reading:
The Old Drift — Namwali Serpell
Up next:
Staring: How We Look — Rosemarie Garland-Thompson
Areas of Inquiry
Mental Health + Tech
When people are struggling, who do they turn to and what gets in the way? I study how individuals experiencing suicidality and emotional distress navigate care systems and technologies,.
Methods
I develop and apply research methods that bridge qualitative inquiry and computational analysis. I also teach and have offered trainings in a variety of research and evaluation methods.
Health Equity
Health is largely shaped outside the hospital. My research examines how poverty, stigma, and policy design shape care and access in mental health services and crisis care.