Duke Center for Health Informatics: Integrating Extended Reality, Biosignals, and Artificial Intelligence for Improving Patient Outcomes

Seminar Abstract: Approximately 50 million US adults suffer from pain, and over 40 million suffer from anxiety disorders. Currently, medicines and pharmacological methods are the mainstay methods for mitigating pain and anxiety. This seminar talk discusses findings from clinical trials that provided Virtual Reality (VR) intervention for (i) older adults undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty, (ii) Adolescents and Young Adults receiving chemotherapy, and (iii) patients undergoing breast biopsy with needle localization. The subjective and objective data (biosignals) showed promising findings supporting the efficacy of VR as an adjunct pain and anxiety management strategy. Finally, we will discuss ongoing work that focuses on developing Artificial Intelligence integrated Augmented Reality interventions to support patients who misuse opioids. Instructor Biosketch: Vishnu Prabhu is an Assistant Professor in the Systems Engineering and Engineering Management at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. His primary research interest is data-driven decision-making in healthcare, where he combines human factors and mathematical modeling to improve patient, physician, and system outcomes. He is also passionate about utilizing IoT devices (AR, VR, etc.), wearables, digital health tools, and non-pharmacological techniques to address pain, anxiety, and mental health issues and has conducted multiple clinical trials. Prior to joining UNC Charlotte, he was a research intern at Stanford Health Care and PRISMA Health, where he was involved in academic and applied research. Beyond academic research, he is also the co-founder of Immersive Reality Group, which focuses on Human-AI collaboration in healthcare and has received funding from government agencies and private companies. Zoom Meeting link: https://duke.zoom.us/j/2186100752?pwd=V21yelR5TS84TXRaKzZEYktYaGE4UT09 Meeting number (access code): 218 610 0752, Meeting password: 950986