About

Fay Cobb Payton is a Professor of Information Systems and Business Analytics at North Carolina State University in the College of Management. She specializes in health care IT and disparities, data management, STEM issues, diversity, and systems implementation. Payton has a distinguished record of service and recognition, including being named the 2016 North Carolina Technology Association Tech Educator of the Year and participating in the 2016 White House Summit on the United States of Women. She has received awards such as the 2013 National Coalition of Women in Information Technology Undergraduate Mentoring Award and the first SAS Institute Fellow for her work in analytics and teaching. Her research and outreach focus on health IT, tech leadership, diversity and inclusion in the technology industry, and under-representation of under-represented groups in STEM. She has collaborated with various organizations, given talks at industry and professional conferences, and appeared on multiple media outlets to discuss her research. Payton holds a Ph.D. in Information and Decision Systems from Case Western Reserve University and has worked in corporate IT and engineering before her academic career. She is also an author, with her work including the anthology 'Leveraging Intersectionality: Seeing and Not Seeing,' which explores STEM education and experiences in both academic and corporate environments.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Sociology
• Computer Science
• Gender studies
• Law
• Public relations
• Transport engineering
• Engineering
• Psychology
• Mathematics
• Management
• Advertising
• Social psychology
• Business
• Economic growth
• Media studies
• Environmental science
• Mathematics education
• Environmental resource management
• Public administration
• Ecology
• Biology
• Economics

Selected publications

• Targeting Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Algorithms in Health Care to Reduce Bias and Improve Population Health

  Milbank Quarterly · 2024-08-08 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access

  Policy Points Artificial intelligence (AI) is disruptively innovating health care and surpassing our ability to define its boundaries and roles in health care and regulate its application in legal and ethical ways. Significant progress has been made in governance in the United States and the European Union. It is incumbent on developers, end users, the public, providers, health care systems, and policymakers to collaboratively ensure that we adopt a national AI health strategy that realizes the Quintuple Aim; minimizes race-based medicine; prioritizes transparency, equity, and algorithmic vigilance; and integrates the patient and community voices throughout all aspects of AI development and deployment.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• How could quantum computing shape information systems research – An editorial perspective and future research directions

  International Journal of Information Management · 2024-03-14 · 22 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• The Role of Institutional Leaders in Driving Lasting Change in the STEM Ecosystem

  Issues in Science and Technology · 2023 · 4 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Political Science
  • Political Science
  • Environmental resource management

  Understanding the ways that leadership generates change and accountability is essential to transform a system built upon historical inequities.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• DEI in the IS discipline: What can we do better?

  The Journal of Strategic Information Systems · 2023-05-23 · 6 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Dismantling the Master's House

  2021 · 4 citations

  • Sociology
  • Political Science
  • Gender studies

  It is often assumed that women in CS fully understand and appreciate diversity, equity, and inclusion and advocate for the needs of all women. However, there exist highly publicized examples in computing and beyond where the intersection of race and gender (and the experiences of Black, Latina, and Indigenous women) were ignored by White women. This panel convenes diverse women in CS to discuss the importance and challenges of same-gender allyship, advocacy, and activism.

  PublisherDOI

• Black Lives Matter: A perspective from three Black information systems scholars

  Information Systems Journal · 2021 · 12 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Sociology
  • Political Science
  • Public relations

  Abstract Professional computing organisations, including the ACM, IEEE and INFORMS published statements supporting Black Lives Matter during the 2020 racial unrest in the United States. While the voices of these professional organisations are echoed from positions of power, the concerns of Black IS professors are silenced. In this opinion piece, we centre on the voices of Black professors who seek to thrive in an IS field where they are woefully underrepresented, tokenized, isolated, marginalised and excluded from positions of power. Building on the Black Lives Matter movement's momentum, we offer critical insights about our lived experiences and examine pertinent issues. These issues include systemic racism in the ivory tower and the performative nature of diversity work in the academy. In direct response to the Help the Association of Information Systems (AIS ) Build a System that Provides Equality for All , we offer an inclusive framework for promoting transparency, justification, compliance and enforcement of the AIS's action plan for widening participation in IS.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• As a CS educator, how do you think we can address inequity issues that exist in the field?

  ACM SIGCSE Bulletin · 2021-04-01

  article

  We asked several CS education researchers to offer brief remarks (about 200 words) to spark discussion and provide ideas for actions we can all take to address inequity issues. Two responses are included below.

  PublisherDOI

• An Integrated Living And Learning Community For First And Second Year Undergraduate Women In Science And Engineering

  2020-09-03 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  The Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Village combines a group living experience with resident, upper-class mentors who assist in the transition to university life. Programs for the WISE community are designed to promote academic success, foster the formation of lasting relationships with fellow students, professors and mentors, and provide out-of-classroom experiences. The WISE Village is a supportive environment in which women engage in focused inquiry within their disciplines and develop the skills and talents necessary to become successful students and professionals in STEM fields. When the WISE Village began in 2003, it was as a partnership with University Housing, the College of Engineering (COE), and the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (PAMS). The Village has since expanded to include the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), the College of Natural Resources (CNR) and the College of Textiles (COT) and has grown from 56 participants in 2003 to 250 participants this academic year 2006-07. Currently, 60% of the women are freshmen, 35% are sophomores and 5% are juniors (mentors).

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Centering the Arts in STEM

  STEAM · 2020-01-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  A reflection on a STEAM initiative: NC State University Alumni and their children attended free STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) family workshops at D.H. Hill Library. This program was a collaboration between Dr. Fay Cobb Payton, professor of Information Systems/Technology and University Faculty Scholar at NC State, the NCSU Libraries, and Arts NC State

  PublisherDOI

• Examining undergraduate computer science participation in North Carolina

  Communications of the ACM · 2020-07-22 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Data on CS graduation rates among six academic institutions in NC traces the demographics of those participating (or not) in the discipline.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• EAGER: Collaborative Research: Developing a Culturally Compelling Social Network Approach to HIV/AIDS Prevention for African American College Students

  NSF · $284k · 2011–2014

Frequent coauthors

• Lynette Kvasny

  16 shared

• Bankole Olatosi

  University of South Carolina

  12 shared

• Xiaoming Li

  General Hospital of Shenyang Military Region

  9 shared

• Miranda Nixon

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  9 shared

• Audrey Auen

  University of South Carolina

  9 shared

• Dilek Akgun

  University of South Carolina

  9 shared

• Victor Mbarika

  East Carolina University

  8 shared

• Deborah Maron

  8 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Information Systems/Technology

  North Carolina State University

  1990

• M.S., Information Systems/Technology

  North Carolina State University

  1986

• B.S., Business Administration

  North Carolina State University

  1983

Awards & honors

• 2016 North Carolina Technology Association Tech Educator of…
• 2013 National Coalition of Women in Information Technology (…
• SAS Institute Fellow for her work in analytics and teaching…
• two NC State University Alumni Extension Awards
• inducted into The PhD Project’s Hall of Fame (2017)