Digital Health Initiative Awards 11 Research Projects
[Return to Nexus Newsletter]
The Boston University Digital Health Initiative (DHI) launched earlier this year to support digital health research and convene a university-wide, multi-disciplinary community of researchers, practitioners, and students in pursuit of this work. The DHI is a collaborative effort between the Institute for Health System Innovation and Policy and the Hariri Institute for Computing, two of BU’s university-wide research institutes.
One of the first activities of the Initiative was to open a funding call for research proposals that leverage technologies and methodologies from computing and data sciences to tackle a range of applications related to healthcare systems, from medical informatics to healthcare delivery and patient activation.
After a competitive selection process that involved the leadership teams from both research institutes as well as the Hariri Institute Steering Committee, the DHI is pleased to announce that 11 research teams will receive funding on projects ranging from remote monitoring for home-based physical therapy to a mobile application for drug overdose prevention.
These exciting research projects are pursuing innovations at the nexus of technology, methodology, and application, and they hold great promise for improving the quality, efficiency, and accessibility of healthcare. It is with great enthusiasm that we announce the 11 awarded projects:
Automatic Assessment of Room Clutter for Improved Hoarding Disorder Assessment, Treatment, and Prevention, led by principal investigator (PI) Janusz Konrad from the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ENG), in collaboration with Jordana Muroff (Clinical Practice, SSW).
Leveraging Smartphone Sensing Technology to Identify Social Isolation in Mental Illness, led by PI Daniel Fulford from the Department of Occupational Therapy (SAR), in collaboration with Richard West (Computer Science, CAS) and Yuting Zhang (Computer Science, MET).
Enabling Data Science for Medicine, led by PI Gerald Denis (Medicine, MED), in collaboration with Naomi Ko (Medicine, MED).
A Text-Messaging Approach to Improving Self-Management of Chronic Conditions among Boston’s Highest Utilizing Homeless Persons, led by PI D. Keith McInnes from the Department of Health Law, Policy & Management (SPH), in collaboration with Thomas Byrne (Social Welfare Policy, SSW)
ExerciseCheck: Remote Monitoring and Evaluation Platform for Home-based Physical Therapy, led by PI Margrit Betke from the Department of Computer Science (CAS), in collaboration with Theresa Ellis (Physical Therapy & Athletic Training, SAR).
Overdose Prevention Mobile App Prototype, led by PI Abby Rudolph from the Department of Epidemiology (SPH).
Mobile App for TBI Assessment, led by PI Anna Hohler from the Department of Neurology (MED), in collaboration with Monica Parker-James (Medicine, MED).
Optimizing Discharge Decisions to Reduce Surgery Re-Admissions, led by PI Ioannis Paschalidis from the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ENG), in collaboration with George Kasotakis (Surgery, MED).
Development of Infrastructure Platform for e-Cognitive Studies, led by PI Honghuang Lin from the Department of Medicine (MED), in collaboration with Rhoda Au (Neurology, MED).
Mapping of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, led by PI Michael Otto from the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences (CAS).
Fitness Improvement and Tracking Tool (FITT), led by PI Deepak Kumar from the Department of Physical Therapy & Athletic Training (SAR), in collaboration with Belinda Borrelli (Health Policy & Health Services Research, SDM) and Tuhina Neogi (Medicine, MED).
The Digital Health Initiative provides funding to faculty for the pursuit of digital health research projects, with an annual call for proposals. Please sign-up for our mailing list to receive announcements about upcoming opportunities.