Robin has spent the past three decades working closely with museum curators and educators to design exhibition-related experiences in VR and AR, as well as for touchscreen, mobile and desktop devices, aimed at learners of all ages and interests.

Three years ago, she and her partner Michael Owen began developing VITaLS: Virtual Thinking and Learning Strategies, receiving an NIH-SBIR research grant in 2025. Our research partners include the University of Miami Medical School, School of Nursing and General Studies, and the Lowe Art Museum. 

VITaLS combines Virtual Reality with Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS)—an educational pedagogy developed at the Museum of Modern Art in 1991—to teach interprofessional healthcare students essential communication, observation and teamwork skills through art-based conversations.

Building on proven research demonstrating the effectiveness of both VTS training and VR education, the project studies whether VR-based VTS training matches the efficacy of in-person museum visits. The goal is to democratize access to this powerful training, potentially reaching health education schools worldwide that lack access to local museums, art collections, or trained facilitators, ultimately improving patient care.