In Memoriam: Charles Senteio, Associate Professor of Library and Information Science
Charles Senteio, an associate professor in Rutgers School of Communication and Information’s Department of Library and Information Science, has died of a sudden illness. A dedicated researcher, educator, and mentor, Senteio (1968-2026) worked to understand and address racial health inequities, improve access to health information, and develop technology-enabled approaches to supporting vulnerable patient populations.
“All of SC&I grieves Dr. Charles Senteio. This is an incalculable loss for the fields of health information, informatics and equity, and all of Library and Information Science,” said Chair and Associate Professor of Library and Information Science Rebecca Reynolds. “We know in our grief we'll be joined by countless others in what is a difficult moment for all who knew this beloved leader, scholar, and innovator, our dear colleague and friend, Charles.”
As we prepare to gather as a SC&I community during an on-campus meeting this week to informally remember Charles and simply be in presence together in our sadness and shock, we will be collecting thoughts, memories and reflections while we develop a more thorough written news piece with proper editorial diligence and inputs. We appreciate patience from all in the field as we complete this fuller article.
We also invite you to share your remembrances of Prof. Senteio at this simple survey link. These messages will convey the heartfelt nature of the reflections already being shared from across the field from Charles’ colleagues, students, and friends. The remembrances will be moderated and shared on a rolling basis here: https://sci.rutgers.edu/remembrance.
As a very short overview, Senteio’s work reflected a commitment to connecting research with the needs of the communities it sought to serve. His research investigated how information is collected and used to identify the causes and conditions of persistent racial health inequities and develop impactful approaches and interventions to address them. He incorporated community-engaged methods throughout the research process, from developing research questions and selecting methods to analyzing and disseminating findings.
His research addressed some of the most pressing challenges at the intersection of information, technology, and health. His projects examined racial inequities in COVID-19 vaccination, health misinformation, access to mental health care for young adults in Africa, and disparities in health care quality in Brazil. He also investigated how AI-enabled tools could contribute to mental health communication and stigma reduction among African youth.
Senteio’s research earned broad recognition from across numerous scholarly communities. In 2026 Rutgers University-New Brunswick's Office of the Provost named him the recipient of the Provost Award for Excellence in Community and Publicly Engaged Scholarship. He was nominated for the award by Associate Professor of Communication Shawnika Hull with support from Library and Information Chair Reynolds and the SC&I deans.
Senteio also received the 2026 Top Innovative Paper Award from the Human-Machine Computing Division at the International Communication Association conference for “Human-machine communication for mental health: AI chatbots as communicative agents in stigma reduction among African youth.”
In 2023, he received Rutgers University’s prestigious Public Good Pinnacle Award, recognizing outstanding collaborations and sustained commitments to diversity, inclusion, equity, and access.
At Rutgers SC&I, Senteio’s impact extended far beyond his scholarship. His commitment to community-engaged scholarship shaped his service to SC&I and the broader university.
“Rather than the transactional approach taken in much research that is positioned as community-engaged, Charles’ scholarship was grounded in meaningful relationships within communities, a foundation of earned trust and mutual respect, which permeated every aspect of his research process,” said Associate Professor of Communication Shawnika Hull. “Senteio’s community partners have attested to his commitment to developing long-term, authentic collaborations that were grounded in respect, trust, and a shared aim to improve community health and wellbeing to bring about health equity.”
Senteio developed his program of research in response to community needs and was willing to adapt the program of research in response to the realities of communities’ changing needs, Hull added. For example, he was awarded a research grant in recent years to support collaboration with Lazos América Unida focused on understanding the health information needs of Latinx populations. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, its disparate ramifications, and rampant misinformation, Senteio shifted the project’s focus over time to assess the feasibility of a smartphone application to deliver relevant health information, especially COVID-related content, to Latinx community members.
“This research focus and the subsequent pivot in response to the pandemic demonstrate how Charles’ scholarship embodied a spirit of collaboration, co-learning, shared decision-making, and responsiveness to community-driven priorities,” Hull said.
Committed to serving Rutgers and SC&I, Senteio served on SC&I’s Research Development Committee and participated in numerous university initiatives and professional events focused on community-engaged research. He was affiliated with Rutgers Global Health and, in 2024, was named a senior research associate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Johannesburg. Earlier, in 2020–2021, he served as a visiting professor and Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management.
He was deeply committed to teaching and mentoring students at every stage of their academic careers. He taught undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students in courses including Community Engaged Scholarship, Health Informatics, and Management of Information Organizations. His Byrne Seminar introduced first-year students to the role of information in supporting health and wellness, including efforts to address HIV and sexually transmitted infections.
As a doctoral advisor and member of dissertation committees, Senteio supported the development of numerous emerging scholars. He also advised master’s and undergraduate students and mentored undergraduates through the Rutgers Aresty Research Assistant Program. His recent Aresty work involved examining AI-enabled tools for health equity research, building opportunities for students to engage directly with emerging research questions.
Senteio joined Rutgers SC&I in 2016 as an assistant professor of Library and Information Science and was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2022. His professional affiliations included the American Library Association, the Association for Library and Information Science Education, the American Medical Informatics Association, and the International Communication Association. He also served on the board of Jazz for Prostate Cancer Awareness and the advisory board of the Center for the Study and Practice of Urban Religion at Union Theological Seminary.
Senteio earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science from Central Connecticut State University in 1992, an MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business in 1994, a master’s degree in social work from the University of Michigan in 2014, and a Ph.D. in health informatics from the University of Michigan School of Information in 2015. He was a licensed clinical social worker who continued to see clinical and coaching clients, and he was a master-certified health education specialist.
Outside his academic work, Senteio enjoyed Shao-Lin Kung Fu, Aikido, traveling, classic cars and auto restoration, woodworking, and reading biographies.
The faculty of SC&I’s Department of Library and Information Science joins colleagues at Rutgers and throughout the scholarly community in remembering Charles Senteio. His dedication to health equity, community-engaged research, and student mentorship leaves a meaningful legacy at SC&I and beyond. The department anticipates sharing additional remembrances from those who knew him in the coming days and weeks.
