Research

I am a scholar-activist who conducts work motivated by real world challenges I have observed in my communities. All of my efforts are grounded in the lived experience of marginalized people, and seeks to promote equitable access to information, education and healthcare.

Informed by intersectional feminist, critical disability, and human centered approaches, I use qualitative methods to examine the information and social support practices of people navigating complex sociotechnical systems in the context of healthcare and education. My research aims to re/design these systems so they empower people to make the best decisions for themselves, and make policy recommendations that help people thrive in these complicated environments.

You can read more about my research below, or check head over to the Community page to read about my organizing work.

Select Research Projects

  • Whiteboard with hand written text that says Coming Soon!

    Investigating How Parents Learn About Gender Affirming Care

    Project Overview: Despite significant evidence that gender affirming healthcare is life-saving, more than half of the United States has banned fully reversible gender affirming medications for minors. Furthermore, 10 states have implemented "aiding and abetting" laws which make it a criminal offense for healthcare professionals, public school staff, and other state employees to provide care, facilitate access to, or merely help parents learn information about gender affirming healthcare for minors. Given this context, I intend to conduct an interview study of parents and caregivers to answer the following Research Questions:

    (1) Amidst rapidly evolving U.S. legislation, how do parents and caregivers of gender-diverse youth describe their information needs, seeking, and use practices, with respect to gender affirming healthcare?

    (2) What sources do parents and caregivers find useful for learning about gender affirming healthcare, and how do they determine what information is accurate and trustworthy?

    Project Role, Primary Investigator: conceptualization; project management

    Presentations
    Carucci, D. (2025). Aiding and Abetting:
    Should Librarians Help Families of Gender Diverse Youth Access Healthcare? Association for Information Science and Technology Annual Meeting, Forging Ahead Symposium. Crystal City, Virginia. [Slide Deck]

  • Damon stands next to a poster at a conference and smiles, as he talks with two master's students from China

    Understanding Doctoral Students' Barriers to Mental Healthcare

    Project Overview:  Although the number of doctoral students reporting significant mental distress has increased over the past decade, mental health service utilization remains low, particularly among historically marginalized students. Recent surveys of graduate students suggest a lack of time and limited financial resources are the most common barriers to seeking mental healthcare; however, these claim fail to explain why some students manage to overcome these barriers, while others do not. This study analyzes public and historical records, along with 30 semi-structured interviews, to better understand why many doctoral students do not seek healthcare for significant mental health challenges, despite an awareness of accessible mental health services on-campus, and a desire to receive care. 

    Project Role, Co-PI: conceptualization; project management; data collection; data curation; data analysis; writing and editing

    Publications
    Carucci, D. (2024). Doctoral Student Perspectives of Support for Seeking Mental Healthcare On‐Campus: Preliminary Findings. Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 61(1), 864–866. https://doi.org/10.1002/pra2.1122 [PDF]

    Manuscripts Under Review
    Carucci, D., & Toyama, K. (2025) Title Omitted for the Double Blind Review Policy.

  • A 98 year old white woman with oxygen tubes and a medical alert necklace sits in a wheel chair presenting a 3D printed vase

    Exploring Makerspaces in Long Term Care Facilities

    Project Overview: Over the next decade, the number of Americans aged 65 and older who reside in a long term care facility (e.g., nursing homes, assisted living residences) is expected to increase significantly. However, residents of these facilities are known to suffer declines in wellbeing and perceived autonomy due to decreased social interaction, physical activity, and intellectual stimulation. Many facilities attempt to combat this by having staff members lead highly structured group activities, with little to no input from the residents. This eight week ethnographic field study built a modern makerspace within one long term care facility, with the intent of exploring whether residents aged 80 and older would be interested in a makerspace, and if so, how it would affect their well-being and sense of autonomy. 

    Project Role, Primary Investigator: conceptualization; research design; funding acquisition; project management; data collection; data curation; data analysis; writing and editing

    Publications
    Carucci, D., & Toyama, K. (2019). Making Well-being: Exploring the Role of Makerspaces in Long Term Care Facilities. Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1145/3290605.3300699 [PDF]