Dr. Rafeef Garbi is a Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia, and the Founder/Director of the Biomedical Signal and Image Computing Laboratory (BiSICL). Her multidisciplinary research integrates artificial intelligence, computer vision, and medical imaging for clinical applications in pediatric orthopedics, oncology, and neurology. PhD (Chalmers University, Sweden), MSc (with distinction), Technical Licentiate Research Focus: Specializing in Medical Image Computing and Visual Computing , her lab develops AI-driven solutions for: Automated segmentation and analysis of multi-dimensional biomedical data Clinically-translatable biomarkers for disease assessment Computer-aided intervention systems in surgical contexts Scientific Leadership: UBC Killam Faculty Research Fellow Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies Early Career Scholar Senior IEEE Member & Founding IEEE EMBS Vancouver Section Member Key Collaborations: Active in the Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention (MICCAI) Society and CAIDA: UBC ICICS Centre for Artificial Intelligence Decision-making and Action. Her team bridges engineering, medicine, and computational biology through translational research.
Elizabeth Mynatt is the Dean and Professor of the Khoury College of Computer Sciences at Northeastern University. Her research focuses on human-centered computing, personal health informatics, and assistive technologies, particularly for aging populations. She leads the National Science Foundation's AI Institute (AI-CARING) and co-directs Emory University's Cognitive Empowerment Program. Mynatt advocates for federal research funding, emphasizing its role in technological innovation and economic growth. She is a Fellow of the ACM and member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her leadership includes fostering inclusive computing education and developing the Oath for Computing Professionals . Mynatt has over 100 publications, with work spanning ubiquitous computing, health informatics, and AI ethics. She previously held roles at Georgia Tech, including Regents' Professor and director of the Institute for People and Technology. Key contributions include designing AI systems to support aging-in-place, technology-mediated caregiving, and addressing challenges in mental health medication management. Her collaborations with industry and global institutions highlight her commitment to sociotechnical systems that enhance human capabilities while respecting cultural contexts.
Salmaan A. Keshavjee, MD, PhD, ScM, serves as Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Center for Global Health Delivery. He concurrently holds appointments as Associate Professor of Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Faculty Dean of Adams House at Harvard University. His leadership targets critical global health delivery challenges in regions including the Middle East, North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa through research, training, and policy engagement. Dr. Keshavjee's interdisciplinary foundation combines medical (MD), anthropological (PhD), and public health (ScM) training. This unique background informs his approach to health systems analysis and policy implementation across diverse cultural contexts. As a leading expert in drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment and the anthropology of health policy, his research examines the intersection of infectious disease control, social determinants of health, and structural barriers to care. Additional interests include mental health integration in TB programs, health economics, and digital health applications for disease screening. His fieldwork spans 16 years in Russia, Lesotho, and Pakistan, with extensive collaboration through Partners In Health. Analysis of his recent publications reveals consistent focus on tuberculosis prevention and treatment optimization, with growing attention to mental health comorbidities and artificial intelligence applications. His work addresses diverse populations including prisoners and household contacts across multiple continents, emphasizing regimen feasibility, health system barriers, and economic consequences of inadequate TB control. Key initiatives include the Zero TB Cities project aiming for tuberculosis elimination. Dr. Keshavjee has held influential policy roles including chair of the WHO/Stop TB Partnership’s Green Light Committee for MDR-TB Treatment (2007-2010) and co-authorship of U.S. Institute of Medicine policy papers, though no formal scientific awards are specified in source materials. Through the Center for Global Health Delivery, he mentors fellows in programs such as the Paul Farmer Global Surgery Research Fellowship and Global Mental Health Delivery Fellowship. These initiatives support implementation research in resource-limited settings through structured training and field placements. The Center operates six core programs—Infectious Disease, Mental Health, Noncommunicable Disease, Primary Care, Public Policy, and Surgery—developing evidence-based interventions through partnerships with institutions worldwide. Current priorities include scaling depression screening in TB care, optimizing preventive therapy regimens, and strengthening health systems in the Middle East and North Africa.
Professor Ian Marschner is a leading academic in biostatistics, currently holding the position of Professor of Biostatistics and Co-Director of Biostatistics at the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney. He has extensive experience spanning over 30 years, including roles as Professor and Head of the Department of Statistics at Macquarie University, Director of Biometrics at Pfizer, and Associate Professor at Harvard University. His research focuses on biostatistical applications in clinical trials, epidemiology, and public health, with a particular emphasis on adaptive trial designs, meta-analysis, and disease surveillance. Professor Marschner has contributed to major clinical trials in cardiovascular medicine, oncology, HIV/AIDS, neonatal/perinatal care, and COVID-19. He co-authored the book Inference Principles for Biostatisticians and is involved with the Biostatistics Collaboration of Australia (BCA) in developing and teaching the Masters of Biostatistics program. His grants include the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence (AusTriM) and a National Critical Research Infrastructure Initiative grant totaling over $20 million. Research students under his supervision include Aydin HIBBERT, focusing on generalized joint regression models for longitudinal data. His work addresses methodological challenges such as bias in early-stopped trials, surrogate endpoints, and statistical frameworks for adaptive experiments. Recent contributions include risk modeling for diabetes, cardiovascular mortality prediction, and biomarker analysis in cancer therapies.
Dr. Yun Seong Song is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T), directing the Physical Human-Robot Interaction Laboratory. He holds a Ph.D. from MIT (2012), M.S. from Carnegie Mellon University (2006), and dual B.S. degrees from Seoul National University (2004). Prior to joining Missouri S&T, he conducted postdoctoral research at EPFL (2012-13) and served as a postdoc/lecturer at Georgia Tech (2014-16). Recognized for both research and teaching excellence, he has received the NSF CAREER Award (2021) and Faculty Teaching Award (2019). His research focuses on the intersection of robotics and biomechanics, emphasizing physical human-robot interaction (pHRI), rehabilitation robotics, wearable devices, energy harvesting from human motion, and medical device design. Key projects include developing robots for overground interaction experiments and assistive technologies for mobility support. His lab explores human motor communication through stiffness modulation, haptic feedback systems, and energy-efficient human-assistance mechanisms. Notable achievements include pioneering interactive stairs for energy-efficient mobility and a light-touch based virtual cane for walking assistance. His work integrates mechanical engineering, control systems, and biomedical applications to advance assistive technologies and human-robot collaboration. Education: Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, MIT (2012) M.S. Mechanical Engineering, CMU (2006) B.S. Mechanical Engineering & B.S.E. Computer Science, Seoul National University (2004) Awards: NSF CAREER Award (2021) Missouri S&T Faculty Teaching Award (2019) Lab Focus: Physical Human-Robot Interaction, Wearable Robotics, Biomechanical Energy Harvesting
Janet S. Dufek, Ph.D., is a Professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in the Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences . She also serves as Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and holds adjunct appointments at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions . Her career spans leadership roles including Associate Dean of the School of Integrated Health Sciences and Director of the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Ph.D. Program . Education: Ph.D. in Biomechanics (University of Oregon, 1988) M.S. in Scientific Foundations of Kinesiology (Illinois State, 1982) B.S. (Summa Cum Laude) in Physical Education (University of Wisconsin-Superior, 1981) Research Interests focus on biomechanical mechanisms of locomotion , injury prevention , and clinical gait assessment . She specializes in jump-landing dynamics , movement variability , and performance enhancement for clinical populations , advocating for interdisciplinary approaches to solve complex health science problems. Her 15 most recent publications (2019-2024) reflect trends in concussion biomechanics , autism spectrum disorder gait analysis , machine learning applications in diabetes progression , and advanced sensor technology for movement studies . Articles explore topics from head acceleration effects on lower extremity function to weighted vest interventions in autism therapy . Scientific Awards include: Fellow, American College of Sports Medicine UW-Superior Hall of Fame (Scholar-Athlete, 2007) Membership in Phi Kappa Phi and Sigma Xi honor societies As a dedicated mentor , she supervises graduate research projects and advises on interdisciplinary health sciences . Her lab ( REBEL Research Group ) pioneers work in biomechanical injury prevention and gait variability assessment , utilizing pressure-measuring insoles and wearable inertial sensors.
Paul Major is Professor and Chair of the School of Dentistry, Senior Associate Dean (Dental Affairs), and ACFD Project Lead at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. He leads the Orthodontic Biomechanics Research Group and co-founded the Inter-disciplinary Airway Research Clinic (I-ARC), driving innovation across dental academia and clinical practice. His educational background includes a Doctorate of Dental Surgery (DDS) from the University of Alberta (1980) followed by MSc and Orthodontic Specialty training at the same institution (1988). He joined the academic staff in 1989 and served as Director of the TMD/Orofacial Pain Program (1991-2001) and Orthodontic Graduate Program (2001-2010). Dr. Major's research centers on Orthodontic Biomechanics , 3D Craniofacial Imaging , and Ultrasound Imaging . His Orthodontic Biomechanics Research Group developed the OSIM system for 3D force measurement on dental appliances, while his imaging work pioneers reconstruction of craniofacial structures and periodontal ultrasound diagnostics. Through the I-ARC, he leads interdisciplinary studies on pediatric sleep-disordered breathing, examining craniofacial morphology and orthodontic interventions. Analysis of his 190+ publications reveals consistent innovation in biomechanical analysis of orthodontic appliances, machine learning for dental image processing, and hydrogel development for intraoral imaging. Recent work bridges dentistry with engineering through projects on dental aerosols, clear aligner mechanics, and airway measurement software. Dr. Major has supervised over 75 graduate students while maintaining clinical teaching duties despite administrative leadership roles. His research is supported by grants enabling the OSIM system development and interdisciplinary I-ARC projects. He directs the Orthodontic Biomechanics Research Group's experimental biomechanics work and the I-ARC's clinical research team, which integrates pediatric ENT, pulmonology, radiology, and biomedical engineering specialists to advance treatment of pediatric sleep apnea through craniofacial analysis and innovative imaging techniques.
Scott E. Crouter is a Professor in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He serves as director of the Applied Physiology Laboratory and is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. His research focuses on improving physical activity and energy expenditure measurement using wearable monitors and machine learning algorithms, with applications in youth, adults, and special populations like pregnant individuals and cancer survivors. Education: Postdoctoral in Nutritional Sciences (Cornell, 2005-07), PhD in Exercise Physiology (University of Tennessee, 2005), MS in Cardiac Rehabilitation/Adult Fitness (University of Wisconsin, 2000), BS in Exercise Science (Linfield College, 1998) Dr. Crouter's work spans physical activity assessment , sedentary behavior analysis , and technology validation . He has developed machine learning models for energy expenditure estimation using ActiGraph GT9X and Cosmed K5 devices. His recent studies examine pregnancy hyperglycemia interventions, urban environment impacts on activity patterns, and robotic exercise aids. He has secured significant NIH funding for projects including digital health weight management , pediatric obesity treatment translation , and fall risk factors in the elderly . As associate editor for Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise and Journal for the Measurement of Physical Behaviors , he contributes to methodological advancement in activity monitoring. Scientific Awards: Fellow, American College of Sports Medicine Editorial Leadership National Physical Activity Plan Alliance Participation CDC/National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research Contributions National Academy of Sciences Committee Member Dr. Crouter's student collaborations include works with Natalie Butte on youth compendiums, Allan Opotowsky in cardiac rehabilitation trials, Patrick Hibbing in metabolic equivalent research, and Sara LaMunion in consumer monitor validation. His lab has produced over 100 publications and 15 recent articles focusing on sensor technology and population health.
Sophia Bano is an Assistant Professor in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence at the Department of Computer Science, University College London (UCL), since November 2022. She is affiliated with the Wellcome/EPSRC Centre for Interventional and Surgical Sciences (WEISS), Surgical Robot Vision group, UCL Robotics Institute, and the Centre for Artificial Intelligence. Previously, she was a Senior Research Fellow at WEISS, contributing to the GIFT-Surg project. Her research focuses on AI-driven techniques for context awareness, navigation, and surgical robotics in minimally invasive procedures, including endoscopic workflow analysis, 3D reconstruction, and surgical vision systems. Education: BEng in Mechatronics Engineering (NUST, Pakistan), MSc in Electrical Engineering (NUST), MSc in Computer Vision and Robotics (Erasmus Mundus VIBOT), PhD from Queen Mary University of London and Technical University of Catalonia (Erasmus Mundus Fellowship). Post-doctoral work at University of Dundee (EPSRC ACE-LP project) and Imperial College London (ERC STING project). Research interests include computer vision for surgery, medical imaging, surgical robotics, and AI in healthcare. She leads the UKRI EPSRC-funded 'AI-enabled Decision Support in Pituitary Surgery' project and contributed to the GIFT-Surg and CARES projects. Publications span 3D reconstruction in fetoscopy, surgical workflow recognition, and AI models for medical imaging. Awards include the IJCARS-MICCAI Best Paper Award (2020) and the Best Innovation Award at the 2022 Surgical Robot Challenge. She organizes conferences like EndoVis and serves as a reviewer for journals like IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging and MICCAI.
Neal D. Goldstein, PhD, MBI, is an Associate Research Professor of Epidemiology at Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health. His work focuses on computational methods in epidemiology, particularly leveraging electronic health records (EHR) for infectious disease surveillance and public health resource optimization. He holds a PhD in Epidemiology from Drexel and an MBI from Oregon Health & Science University. Research interests include data analysis methods, infectious disease transmission, spatial epidemiology, and translational epidemiology. Goldstein has authored over 60 peer-reviewed publications, a textbook on EHR-based epidemiological analyses, and co-authored chapters in academic textbooks. His work has been featured in national media outlets including Kaiser Health News and Politico. Key projects include NIH-funded studies on HIV surveillance and predictive modeling of healthcare-associated infections. Goldstein also maintains a blog discussing methodological advances in epidemiology and EHR research. He advises students and collaborates on grants focused on improving public health resource allocation through data-driven approaches. Goldstein's lab emphasizes bridging EHR informatics with epidemiological practice to address challenges in infectious disease management and healthcare equity.
Emanuele (Manuel) Trucco is a Professor of Computing and holds the NRP Chair of Computational Vision in the School of Science and Engineering at the University of Dundee. He is also an Honorary Clinical Researcher at NHS Tayside and previously served as an Adjunct Professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (2018–2021). His research is centered on computational vision and medical image analysis, particularly in retinal imaging and its applications in systemic disease detection. PhD, Electronic Engineering, University of Genoa (1990) MSc, Electronic Engineering, University of Genoa (1984) Manuel Trucco's research focuses on computer vision and medical image analysis , with a strong emphasis on retinal image analysis for early detection of diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, stroke, dementia, and neurodegenerative disorders. He co-directs the VAMPIRE (Vessel Assessment and Measurement Platform for Images of the Retina) initiative, a collaborative effort between the Universities of Dundee and Edinburgh. This platform enables automated, multi-modal analysis of retinal images and has been used in biomarker studies across the UK and internationally. His work integrates deep learning , artificial intelligence , and biomedical engineering to develop non-invasive, scalable diagnostic tools. Industrial collaborations include Canon Medical, OPTOS plc, NIDEK, and Epipole plc, while institutional partners include the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and the UK Biobank Eye and Vision Consortium. Recent publications highlight a strong trend in using AI and deep learning to extract clinical insights from retinal images, including predicting cardiovascular outcomes in diabetic patients, estimating biological age, and analyzing retinal vasculature changes under physiological stress. His work bridges computer science, ophthalmology, and public health, contributing to precision medicine and health equity. His scientific contributions have been recognized through fellowships: FRSA (Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts) FIAPR (Fellow of the International Association for Pattern Recognition) Trucco has led or co-led major research projects, including a £7M NIHR grant on precision medicine for diabetes (Dundee-Chennai), a £1.1M EPSRC grant on vascular dementia biomarkers (PI), the 3M-Euro ITN "REVAMMAD", and several PhD studentships sponsored by OPTOS, NIDEK, SINAPSE, and Toshiba. He has served on the organizing and program committees of major international conferences such as MICCAI and the European Conference on Computer Vision. He is a key member of the VAMPIRE research team and the UK Biobank Eye and Vision Consortium , contributing to large-scale data analysis efforts in vision and systemic disease. His work is at the forefront of AI-driven healthcare innovation, with real-world applications in early disease detection and personalized medicine.
Jürgen Sauer is a Full Professor at the University of Fribourg , affiliated with the Department of Psychology under the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences . With over 120 publications, his research focuses on Human-Machine Interaction , Usability Testing , User Experience (UX) , and Automation Design , particularly in high-stakes environments like X-ray baggage screening and spaceflight simulations . Email: juergen.sauer@unifr.ch Phone: +41 26 300 7622 Address: RM 01 bu. C-1.117, Rue PA de Faucigny 2, 1700 Fribourg Orcid: 0000-0003-2105-1694 His research projects, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (FNS), include: Improving work design for airport security officers (2019-2024): Developed pictorial scales for measuring psychological constructs in security environments. Social stress and support in hybrid teams (2018-2023): Investigated machine-induced social stressors and mitigation through social support. Automation in visual inspection tasks (2014-2018): Examined adaptable automation for baggage screening and system reliability effects. Usability testing effectiveness (2012-2016): Analyzed cultural background impacts and non-usability product features influencing test outcomes. Key contributions include the Luggage Inspection Simulation (LIS) environment for modeling work environments and the development of pictorial usability scales for multilingual applicability. His work bridges ergonomics , human factors , and applied psychology , with notable collaborations with researchers like Adrian Schwaninger and Andreas Sonderegger . His recent publications (2025-2014) analyze: Human-machine performance under false alarms and miscues Social stressor dynamics in hybrid teams Usability scale animation effects Phubbing behavior in professional contexts Accessible website design for non-disabled users
Anna Yuanyuan Wang is an academic affiliated with Monash University , where she serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine under the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. She is also a Research Fellow at the Monash Suzhou Research Institute. Her work bridges health economics, digital health, and sustainable development goals. PhD in Health Economics, University of Nottingham (2015-2022) Master in Management, University of Liverpool (2016-2018) Bachelor in Statistics, Shanxi University of Finance and Economics (2006-2010) Her research spans lifestyle interventions for obesity , non-medical mental health treatments , cost-effectiveness analysis , and smart city technologies . Recent studies focus on the impact of health information on dietary choices, circular economy adoption by SMEs, and hearable technology in urban settings. Anna’s publications over the past five years highlight interdisciplinary trends, merging public health , digital innovation , and environmental sustainability . Key areas include smart wearable devices, discrete choice experiments, and randomized controlled trials. She has collaborated with institutions like the Southeast University-Monash University Joint Research Institute and contributes to research networks related to digitalization , Industry 4.0 , and smart cities .
Muhammad Asghar is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Engineering and Computer Education, University of Cincinnati. His research focuses on the intersection of engineering education and student mental health, with expertise in physiology-based behavior analysis, wellbeing frameworks, and curriculum innovation. Ph.D. in Engineering Education, Utah State University (2023) Master's in Educational Psychology and Clinical Psychology, IIUI Islamabad (2015-2019) B.Sc. in Computer Information Systems Engineering, UET Peshawar (2004) Current research trends include systematic literature reviews on student wellbeing, eye-tracking studies for design task analysis, and curriculum redesign for mental health integration. He contributes to NSF-funded initiatives like First-Year Engineering 2.0 and develops wellbeing assessment tools for engineering pedagogy. His work spans collaborations with researchers like Sheryl Sorby, Angela Minichiello, and Oenardi Lawanto, with publications in Journal of Engineering Education , ASEE Conference Proceedings , and International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health .
Jakob Eg Larsen is an Associate Professor at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), affiliated with the Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science (DTU Compute) within the Cognitive Systems Section. He leads the Mobile Informatics and Personal Data Laboratory (MILAB). His research focuses on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Personal Informatics, Quantified Self, and Information Visualization, with applications in wearable technology, mental health, and healthcare. He teaches courses in Digital Media Engineering, including user experience, mobile application prototyping, and personal informatics. Education: PhD (2005) and MSc in Computer Science (1999) from the University of Copenhagen, with additional studies in cognitive psychology. Research emphasizes wearable devices for mental health interventions (e.g., PTSD treatment), physical activity tracking in pregnancy, and personalized hearing aid systems. Over 98 publications and 12 supervised PhD projects highlight his contributions to HCI, mHealth, and data-driven healthcare solutions. Labs/Teams: MILAB focuses on mobile informatics and personal data interaction. Collaborations span interdisciplinary fields like audiology, clinical psychology, and public health.
