Interdisciplinary Team Led by Zhe He Receives ISL Planning Grant

Posted by Michael Walsh on

iSchool Professor Dr. Zhe He and his interdisciplinary team recently received a grant from the Institute for Successful Longevity (ISL) for their project, “Towards an AI-Assisted Application for Lab Result Comprehension for Older Adults with Multiple Chronic Conditions,” which aims to make health information more accessible to patients, especially older adults, by developing a portal catered to patients’ information needs. The study team will use this planning grant to collect pilot data for the developing of an AI-assisted tool to help older adults interpret their lab results by providing them with tailored recommendations and health information sources.

Dr. Zhe He, iSchool

“Our tool will enhance older adults’ understanding of medical information and facilitate patient-provider communication and shared decision making,” said He. “With older adults more engaged in the care, they are more likely to follow the treatment plan, adhere to the medications, and live a healthy lifestyle, which will support their successful longevity.”

The ISL conducts research into how to live longer, stay active, and be fully engaged in life. An ISL Planning Grant offers $25,000 to support the collection of pilot data; it is seen as a first step toward gaining federal funding.

“We hope to use this planning grant to generate strong pilot data for our federal grant application,” said He. “In the long term, we hope it will have a sustained and positive impact on patient engagement, self-management, and ultimately health outcomes.”

The research team includes Dr. Mia Lustria (iSchool), Dr. Kyung Kim (FSU Libraries), and Dr. Jing Wang (College of Nursing), as well as collaborators from other universities including Dr. Zhan Zhang (Pace University), Dr. Xiao Luo (IUPUI), and Dr. Karim Hanna (USF Health). This diverse team has extensive experience in many relevant areas, including health informatics, health communication, family medicine, information retrieval, human computer interaction, and designing technologies for the elderly.

To learn more about the ISL and its Planning Grants, click here.