News
e-HAIL researchers: If you have news to share, please forward the link to jflorusb@umich.edu.
Statistical Advisory Panel
e-HAIL member Ivo Dinov, PhD, was recently elected to the Statistical Advisory Board of Nature Medicine.Obsessed with Getting Good Sleep? That Could Be Making It Worse.
e-HAIL member Cathy Goldstein, MD, was recently quoted in an article about sleep trackers.The Medical Field and AI: How Could Future Doctors Appointments Look with AI?
e-HAIL member Jodyn Platt, MD, MPH, recently had her research on how adults feel about AI in the medical field featured in an article in Mid-Michigan Now.MTRAC Awards $2.1M to Biomedical Research Projects
e-HAIL member Daniel Ehrmann, MD, MS, was awarded a Kickstart early-stage funding grant from the Michigan Translational Research & Commercialization (MTRAC) Life Sciences Innovation Hub for the project Obtaining Transparent Therapeutic Optima Multidirectional Communication Platform. e-HAIL member Karthik Ramani, MD, MHA, MB, and colleague Albert Shih, MS,PhD, received a mid-stage funding award for their research project, Dialy-Safe Needle.Transforming Pancreatic Cancer Research Through Collaboration
Kudos to e-HAIL member Timothy Frankel, MD, and Michigan Medicine colleagues, whose collaborative research on pancreatic cancer is featured in a U-M report on the Impact of Federally Sponsored Research.Thirteen U-M Faculty Members Named as 2024 AAAS Fellows
Kudos to e-HAIL member Arvind Rao, PhD, who earned election to the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2024, along with twelve other U-M faculty.Macy Faculty Scholars Program
e-HAIL member Cornelius James, MD, was named a 2025 Macy Faculty Scholar. This select group of early-career faculty members are chosen for their timely scholarly work and promise as future leaders in health professions education.2025 EECS Outstanding Achievement Awards
The EECS Department has honored four faculty for their sustained excellence in instruction and curricular development, distinguished participation in service activities, or for their significant achievements in scholarly research.Shaping the future of AI: A Q&A with Rada Mihalcea
The director of the AI Lab at the University of Michigan discusses the lab’s rich history and its ambitious future.Bridging gaps in rural health care with AI-powered mobile clinics
General practitioners with AI help could make diagnoses, run and interpret tests, and perform procedures like specialists.Dhruv Jain and Devin McCaslin receive William Demant Foundation grant for AI-driven dizziness diagnosis
The grant will support their pioneering research to improve diagnostics and management of dizziness, a symptom associated with hearing loss, using AI technology.Interview With an Innovator, Episode 6: Jenna Wiens, PhD
Prof. Jenna Wiens is interviewed on the evolving role of predictive AI in healthcare as part of a free AI curriculum for primary care physicians and medical students.Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
Check out the new video series from the Institute for Health Policy and Innovation (IHPI), which highlights how IHPI researchers are actively exploring and shaping AI application in health and healthcare. Featured researchers include e-HAIL members Cornelius James, MD, Rahul Ladhania, PhD, MPhil, and Jodyn Platt, PhD, MPH. e-HAIL and its co-Lead Convener Akbar Waljee, MD, MSc, are featured in the accompanying article, “e-HAIL: Accelerating Interdisciplinary Innovation in eHealth and Artificial Intelligence.”Twenty U-M Faculty Leaders Named Innovation Champions
e-HAIL member Arvind Rao, PhD, was selected into the inaugural cohort of U-M Innovation Champions. The Innovation Champions were chosen for their passion and dedication to advancing innovation within their units and will collaborate with U-M leadership on innovation efforts university-wide.New generative AI model can reconstruct a high-quality, sparse-view 3D CT scan with a much lower X-ray dose
Improvements move the deep learning technique towards use in 3D medical imaging.AI, AI, Oh! Task Force Prepping Medical School Community to Adapt to New Tools
e-HAIL Co-lead Convener Akbar Waljee, MD, MSc, AGAF, Advisory Convener Brahmajee Nallamothu, MD, MPH, and member Jun Li, PhD, serve as co-chairs of the Research working group, one of the four working groups that together constitute the GenAI taskforce.A Cause for Collaboration
Congratulations to e-HAIL member Scott VanEpps, MD, PhD, and Vishu Asthana, MD, PhD, on being awarded funding from the Frankel Innovation Initiative to continue their work on the development of the Rapid Response system to treat sepsis.Elizabeth Bondi-Kelly and Alex Peahl receive Google grant to develop AI-powered reproductive health chatbot
The funding will support Bondi-Kelly and Peahl’s development of MI-OB-Now, a multi-agent AI system that improves access to reproductive health information.Accounting for bias in medical data helps prevent AI from amplifying racial disparity
Some sick Black patients are likely labeled as “healthy” in AI datasets due to inequitable medical testing.How Long Can You Stand on One Foot? The Answer May Predict Your Fall Risk.
e-HAIL member Devin McCaslin, PhD, was featured in an article discussing the deterioration of the inner ear’s sense of balance over time (subscriber-only article).Dhruv Jain receives Google funding for enhanced sound awareness for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals
The grant will support Jain’s work to develop a comprehensive auditory scene understanding system.Real-time visual description program for people with low vision wins Best Paper at UIST 2024
CSE authors were recognized for their development of WorldScribe, a program that generates live visual descriptions to assist people who are blind or have low vision.Matthew Raymond recognized for research using ML techniques to design new types of medicine
Doctoral student Matthew Raymond wants to facilitate the development of new and groundbreaking nanomedicines.$1.2 million NSF funding for U-M research on surgical training
The researchers will apply computational methods to assess and enhance surgical training and patient outcomes.Maggie Makar receives Google Research Scholar award for work on causally motivated AI models
The award will support Makar’s work to develop machine learning models that leverage causal reasoning to detect and manage chronic pain.Leveraging artificial intelligence for early detection of lung cancer
Predictive models developed by an interdisciplinary U-M research team have improved early lung cancer detection beyond traditional measures, with the potential to save lives.Eckner and Lavieri Awarded DoD Grant for Concussion Risk Prediction Research
Congratulations to e-HAIL members Mariel Lavieri, PhD., and James Eckner, MD, MS, who were recently awarded a DoD grant to develop predictive tools to identify cadets and midshipmen from US Service Academies at the highest risk for sustaining concussions.Physical Activity Improves Early with Customized Text Messages in Patients with Heart Problems
Jessica Golbus, M.D., is part of a team using wearable technology to study how personalized text messages effectively promote increased physical activity for patients after significant heart events.Cameras with Facial Recognition Detect Driver Impairment
A research team led by Mohammed Islam, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, developed a system that relies on 3D cameras that can cost-effectively be added to advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), which have been used in cars for years (article from Vision Spectra).e-HAIL co-Lead Convener Akbar Waljee, M.D., M.Sc., Appointed Assistant Dean for Global Health Research
e-HAIL co-Lead Convener Akbar Waljee, who has been appointed assistant dean for global health research in the Medical School. In this role, he works closely with the dean of the Office of Research to accelerate U-M’s partnerships in global health discoveries in research and advancements in health solutions internationally.You’re just a stick figure to this camera
The anonymity could reduce unnecessary surveillance in an age of smart devices.CSE researchers receive Social Impact Award at NAACL 2024
The award recognizes the importance of their research on cultural biases in large language models.Forecasting ‘forever chemicals’ in U.S. waterways with AI
In collaboration with the Environmental Working Group, researchers at U-M have received a Graham Sustainability Institute Catalyst Grant to develop AI tools that can predict PFAS contamination in water sources across the U.S.Improving shared decision-making among interprofessional teams
e-HAIL member, Vitaliy Popov, Ph.D., and his work on creating a new teaching tool to aid with shared decision-making among patients and their care team is highlighted in this article from the RISE Innovation Development Program.Leveraging AI to improve video-based surgical learning
New tool can help surgeons quickly search videos and create interactive feedback, saving time while improving educational value for trainees.Can AI Make Us Healthier Humans?
Jodyn Platt, M.P.H., Ph.D., was featured on the Back 2 The Fundamentals research podcast where she discussed the ethical use of data for research and the promise of artificial intelligence to improve healthcare.University of Michigan Creates AI Tool for Campus, Students
Kudos to David Jurgens, Ph.D., whose work on the new University of Michigan AI tools for campus and students was mentioned in a PBS news special.Maggie Makar receives NSF CAREER Award to develop machine learning models backed by causal reasoning
Makar’s research will leverage causal mechanisms to build more robust machine learning models.Harnessing tech to shape the future of pandemic defense
The Computing Community Consortium, including CSE Prof. Rada Mihalcea, has released a new workshop report on the role of computing in preventing and mitigating the effects of pandemics.Mariel Lavieri Selected to Join the New Voices Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Congratulations to e-HAIL member Mariel Lavieri, Ph.D., on being selected to join the New Voices program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. She is recognized for excellence in research related to human health as well as championing diversity, equity and inclusion.Widely used AI tool for early sepsis detection may be cribbing doctors’ suspicions
When using only data collected before patients with sepsis received treatments or medical tests, the model’s accuracy was no better than a coin toss.Multimodal AI model may guide personalized treatments for tuberculosis
Kudos to e-HAIL member Sriram Chandrasekaran, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering, and postdoctoral fellow Awanti Sambarey, who led a team of U-M researchers to develop a multimodal AI model to predict treatment outcomes of tuberculosis (TB) patients. Their analysis of real-world worldwide patient data may lead to personalization of TB treatment.Hearing emotion: Redefining mental health monitoring via voice-based mood detection
Researchers at U-M have received a $3.6 million NIH grant to support their development of new digital phenotyping tools to better detect and measure symptoms of bipolar disorder via audio monitoring.Identifying Dementia from EHR Data
Dr. Vinod Vydiswaran gives an interview on how he is developing methods to identify dementia from Electronic Health Record (EHR) data. While the adoption of EHR systems into healthcare introduces new and exciting opportunities to extract information that can be used to augment other types of data for research, it can be tricky to pull out meaningful information from the text of clinical notes.For surgery patients, AI could help reduce alcohol-related risks
e-HAIL member Vinod Vydiswaran, Ph.D., M.Tech is working on a project that uses artificial intelligence to scan surgery patients’ medical records for signs of risky drinking in order to help spot those whose alcohol use raises their risk of problems during and after an operation.Clinicians could be fooled by biased AI, despite explanations
Regulators pinned their hopes on clinicians being able to spot flaws in explanations of an AI model’s logic, but a study suggests this isn’t a safe approach.CSE researchers present new findings and tech at UIST 2023
CSE researchers have 2 papers and 4 demos appearing at the conference, covering new tech that improves accessibility, enhances user experience, and helps surgeons-in-training.Dhruv Jain receives NIH grant to improve health education for people with sensory disabilities
Prof. Jain and his collaborators in Michigan Medicine will develop best practices to increase health literacy and access to information for patients with disabilities.Nikola Banovic receives NSF CAREER Award to advance explainable AI
Prof. Banovic aims to use human-AI interaction to explain and justify AI decisions to end users.AI can predict certain forms of esophageal and stomach cancer
e-HAIL Co-Lead Convener, Akbar Waljee, M.D., M.Sc., Lyle C. Roll Endowed Professor; Professor, Learning Health Sciences; Professor, Internal Medicine, is a senior author on a study with a team of researchers including Joel Rubenstein, M.D., M.S., a research scientist at the Lieutenant Colonel Charles S. Kettles Veterans Affairs Center for Clinical Management Research; Professor, Internal Medicine. The team is studying a new artificial intelligence tool that accurately predicts certain forms of cancer at least three years prior to a diagnosis.New apps for visually impaired users provide virtual labels for controls and a way to explore images
With VizLens, users can touch buttons while their phones read out the labels, and Image Explorer provides a workaround for bad or missing alt textWith language models on the rise, how can Natural Language Processing be used for good?
A research team led by Prof. Rada Mihalcea and PhD student Zhijing Jin has created a method for identifying and categorizing research that uses NLP to address social problems.Dhruv Jain named Google Scholar to design accessible technologies for deaf and hard of hearing people
Jain is working to design next-generation accessible technologies to give DHH people better awareness of their surroundings.Committee to explore applications of generative AI
e-HAIL Co-Lead Convener Rada Mihalcea, Ph.D., the Janice M. Jenkins Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, Director of the Michigan Artificial Intelligence Lab, has been appointed to the university-wide Generative Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee, which will make recommendations about how U-M should approach the evaluation, use, and development of emergent artificial intelligence tools and servicesSeven papers by CSE researchers presented at CHI 2023
30 University of Michigan researchers authored and co-authored papers spanning surveillance, virtual reality, algorithmic stigma, assistive technology, and sensing systems.Jenna Wiens receives U-M Sarah Goddard Power Award for outstanding research and advocacy for women in academia
The award recognizes U-M faculty and staff who have significantly contributed to the betterment of current challenges faced by women.Prof. Emily Mower Provost receives NSF grant for research in personalized emotion recognition
The project aims to create new and personalized speech emotion recognition approaches and to use these approaches to investigate how changes in emotion are related to changes in mental health.Six new projects funded by LG AI Research
The projects are a part of LG’s mission to advance AI such as Deep Reinforcement Learning, 3D Scene Understanding, and Reasoning with a Large-scale Language Model and Bias & Fairness related to AI ethics.Rada Mihalcea receives Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award
Mihalcea is being recognized for her contributions to computational linguistics and her efforts to broaden participation in the field of computer science.Paper by U-M researchers selected for Best Paper in IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing
The research on automatic speech emotion recognition is one of the five papers featured in the collection.The Risk and Opportunity of Online Fertility Groups
e-HAIL member, Nazanin Andalibi, Assistant Professor of Information, was recently quoted in an article about how online fertility groups can help people with a history of being ignored or stereotyped by medical professionals.Cardiac sURgery anesthesia Best practices to reduce Acute Kidney Injury (CURB-AKI) R01 Grant
e-HAIL members Michael Mathis, M.D., a cardiac anesthesiologist, and Karandeep Singh, M.D., M.M.Sc., a nephrologist and data scientist, are co-principal investigators on the study, which leverages data science techniques to better understand the impact of anesthesia practices for cardiac surgical patients on acute kidney injury following surgery.Rada Mihalcea named new council member for CRA Computing Community Consortium
Mihalcea has been appointed as one of six new members on the Council, which works to catalyze computing research activity. Her term begins July 1.NIH Grant in Kenya to Enhance Understanding of Aging in Africa
Anthony Ngugi (Aga Khan University) and Joshua Ehrlich (U-M) are co-principal investigators on the grant, which supports pilot work to lay the groundwork for future NIH grant applications aimed at launching the full-scale LOSHAK cohort study of older adults in Kenya.Lin, Sjoding honored for impact on health policy and practice
Congratulations to e-HAIL member Michael Sjoding for receiving a 2021 IHPI annual Policy Impact Award.AI models in health care are not colour blind and we should not be either
Prof. Jenna Wiens comments on a finding that AI systems can be trained to determine a person’s self-reported race based on a medical image.Paper recognized for lasting impact on natural language processing
AAAI recognized Prof. Rada Mihalcea’s 2006 paper which devised a way to semantically compare short texts.Singh: AI could be a useful tool in emergency departments, but use it wisely
Karandeep Singh, assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Information and at the Medical School, warns of limitations in current AI systems.How Hospitals Are Using AI to Save Lives
Karandeep Singh, assistant professor of information, learning health and internal medicine, is quoted in this article on how emergency rooms and ICUs are turning to artificial intelligence to identify and treat patients who are most at riskStrengthening international engagements; data science hub in east Africa and proposals to tackle global challenges
Facilitated by the U-M, a $6.5 million NIH grant will be the first-of-its-kind enterprise in the East African region, harnessing artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other emerging technologies to improve health and care delivery in local communities.$1.1M grant supports learning more about early Alzheimer’s with machine learning
Data from patient records could provide a valuable historical perspective on which factors increase Alzheimer’s risk.Research Symposium discusses the importance of models in the fight against COVID-19
Researchers and students from the University of Michigan gathered via Zoom Thursday to discuss the importance models and predictions played in the fight against the spread of COVID-19.AI-powered interviewer provides guided reflection exercises during COVID-19 pandemic