Human-Systems Integration in Healthcare (HSIH)

PI: Sarah Parker, Associate Professor, VTC School of Medicine

Co-PIs: Leslie LaConte, Tom Martin, Aki Ishida, Denis Gracanin, Quinton Nottingham, Nathan Lau, Kwok Tsui, Taylan Topcu

The project team will focus on building the foundation for coordinated research examining the integration of technology to optimize human performance in health and healthcare.

In this initial phase, the project team is interested in three threads:

1. Determining how the integration of technology (passive sensing, environmental technology, AI) can improve both worker training and patient care.
2. Defining the implementation processes for sustained technology integration into the healthcare setting and patient environment.
3. Proving how technology integration can improve healthcare worker well-being and decrease burnout.

The HSIH team seeks to develop seamless integration with technology promoting excellent patient care and well-being for the clinician. In complex sociotechnical systems such as healthcare, the humans doing the work are tightly coupled with the technology in use. Technology must be developed embracing the context of the sociotechnical system focusing on the human user at the center. Through their collaborative work, HSIH aims to establish Virginia Tech as a research leader in the human-technology partnership in healthcare by seeking extramural funding, building on faculty expertise and external partnerships, and integrating undergraduate and graduate research experiences.

The long-term vision for the project team is to develop an HSIH University Institute advancing the discovery, learning and outreach goals of a global land-grant institution, following the model established by VTTI and NSI, which balance advancing scientific discoveries with developing useful feedback and engagement with manufacturers, technology companies and government entities for safer, secure, and more efficient healthcare.