Larry Headshot

Lawrence Weru, SM

Associate in Biomedical Informatics

Lawrence "Larry" Weru is a health advocate, scientist, full-stack developer, collaborative storyteller, visual artist, information designer, and TEDx speaker. His work at the HiDIVE Lab in the department of Biomedical Informatics at Harvard Medical School focuses on tackling the barriers in digital accessibility that prevent people with disabilities from fully engaging with biomedical resources.

Larry was distinguished as a Dean's Scholar at Harvard Medical School, where he earned his Master of Science (S.M.) in Media, Medicine, and Health. He is a "Notable Nole" alumnus of Florida State University (FSU) where he received dual bachelor's degrees in Biological Science (B.S.) and Studio Art (B.A.).

He has written and co-written on health topics as a freelance writer for Slate, Vox, and Harvard Medical School, co-authored public health op-Eds in the Orlando Sentinel, Vancouver Sun, and KevinMD, and has served as a panelist and speaker at Harvard, FSU, and University of South Florida. 

His contributions and co-contributions to the natural and social sciences are the subject of his TEDx talk, highlighted by Fast Company and Gizmodo Japan, cited in "Real World Python" (No Starch Press), published in Practicing Anthropology, and quoted in "Community Engagement Through Collaborative Writing" (Routledge). 

His note taking app, Columns, is a recipient of a Harvard Innovation Labs Spark Grant, and has ranked as a #1 education app on the Mac App Store.

Harvard Medical School, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine
Authors: Bringing Accessibility to Bio-Tech: An Interview with Larry Weru
2024.
TEDx Talks
Authors: The design flaw in election maps
2015.
2023.
Authors: The Digital Inclusion Manifesto: How the Inaccessible Web Kills People With Disabilities, and What We Can Do About It

Vox
Authors: Why India needs oxygen more urgently than vaccines
2021.
OSF Preprints
Authors: A comprehensive evaluation of life sciences data resources reveals significant accessibility barriers
2023.
Fast Company
Authors: (Feature) The Glaring Design Flaw in US Election Maps
2014.
OSF Preprints
Authors: Using OpenKeyNav to Enhance the Keyboard-Accessibility of Web-based Data Visualization Tools”
2024.
KevinMD
Authors: Social math is key to J&J vaccine hesitancy
2021.
Harvard Medicine News (Harvard Medical School)
Authors: (Interview) How to Cultivate, Maintain, Regain Mental Well-Being
2023.
2024.
Authors:
Harvard Pre-College Program | Breaking Digital Barriers: Reimagining and Redesigning a Digital World for Everyone