Researcher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Miramar, Florida, United States
Francesca Riccio-Ackerman is a doctoral candidate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a researcher in the Biomechatronics Group at MIT Media Lab and the K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics, where her research focuses on strengthening prosthetic and orthotic care systems in fragile and conflict-affected states. Her dissertation centers on post-conflict Sierra Leone, where she leads a formal partnership between MIT and Sierra Leone's Ministry of Health and Sanitation to evaluate health system interventions using implementation science frameworks.
Francesca is a founding member and researcher with Limb & Life, an international research collective addressing critical rehabilitation needs in Gaza, Palestine. The collective brings together Gaza-based and international academics, healthcare professionals, and humanitarian partners to investigate mobility needs, service capacity, and requirements for locally-led rehabilitation systems. Her research portfolio includes clinical epidemiology examining amputation and limb injury patterns across historical and contemporary conflicts, providing comparative analysis essential for understanding the scale and nature of rehabilitation needs in these settings. Her work lies at the intersection of implementation science, global health systems research, and humanitarian health, with expertise spanning the full conflict lifecycle from acute crisis response through sustained system reconstruction. She holds a Master of International Healthcare Management, Economics and Policy with specialization in Global Health and Development, and a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering.
Disclosure information not submitted.
Lessons from Sustained Multidisciplinary Research Collaborations in Global Rehabilitation
Thursday, February 19, 2026
1:45 PM - 3:15 PM CDT