Projects
The following is a non-exclusive list of the major research directions my lab explores. The unifying themes emerge from the new abundance of physiology data from devices, the ability to use these to apply time series analyses in novel health applications, and the participation of groups historically underserved by biomedical research, with whom we see the potential not just to provide greater equity, but to set a new paradigm for how health and wellness are discovered through more engaged public participation.
TemPredict & Smart Public Health
By the time the COVID-19 pandemic forced shelter in place warnings around California, the virus was already well past containment. The situation got bad fast, in large part due to a lack of actionable information: Who is sick; how sick; where should resources go; who needs to isolate; who has long-haul effects? Participants sharing continuous physiological data allow us to re-imagine public and private health intelligence.
Mapping Diversity with Data
Considerations of diversity tend to be (pun intended) overly "black and white". Large physiological data sets let us see differences between populations that, though subtle or complex, can have important implications. If we can't identify groups with different needs or different body ways, then how can we address those needs or individualize wellness?
Women's Health
Biomedical research is usually carried out on men. The result is a lack of understanding about the nature women's physiology, and a failure to appreciate its importance. New tools let us take quantum leaps in precision women's health, and let us numerically undermine old arguments against the inclusion of women in research.
Aging and Healthspan
Aging is a mysterious and diverse process. Despite its universality, we know little about it. The coincidence of the baby boomers reaching retirement age and the emergence of IoT provides a remarkable opportunity to study aging in detail across a very large and diverse population. Feedback systems developed in this way can empower individuals and communities to maximize their healthspan, not just their longevity.
The Body as Coupled Oscillators
Every cell in the body is a potential circadian oscillator. But it is also washed in the mix of all of its comrades in arms (or legs, intestines, etc), so that all parts are joined by (varying, hard to measure amounts) of information. How well can we flesh out a map of relationships, and how well will that map let us navigate to more efficient, informed health and wellness decisions?
And of course many ideas, from pithy to profound, get tossed around and forgotten. The few I remember and write down (with permission from whomever I was talking with) get put into "Scoop Me!" so someone might one day make use of them.