CRCS Seminar - Conrad Tucker

Using AI to Advance Mobile Digital Health in Resource-Constrained Environments

The emergence of ubiquitous mobile computing devices and Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms is transforming patient care, hereby making it more scalable and accessible. This is of particular importance in resource-constrained environments (RCEs) where access to healthcare technologies or expertise may be limited. The sensing modalities (e.g., camera/gyroscope) of mobile devices are capable of capturing and storing data that can then be used by AI algorithms for healthcare insights. One challenge however is separating signal (i.e., health-related information) from noise (non-health-related information). This challenge is exacerbated by the class imbalance problem. I.e., typically, more instances of someone being in a healthy state, as opposed to a disease state. Our research leverages the data acquired by mobile devices to estimate health signals such as vital signs. The goal of having these models generalize across people and cultures motivates the need for field studies and deployments in RCEs. This has resulted in new collaborations that include researchers in the lab, and field workers in RCEs.

Dr. Conrad Tucker is an Arthur Hamerschlag Career Development Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and holds courtesy appointments in Machine Learning, Robotics, Biomedical Engineering, and CyLab Security and Privacy. His research focuses on employing Machine Learning (ML)/Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques to enhance the novelty and efficiency of engineered systems. His research also explores the challenges of bias and exploitability of AI systems and the potential impacts on people and society. Dr. Tucker has served as PI/Co-PI on federally/non-federally funded grants from the National Science Foundation, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Army Research Laboratory, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, among others. In February 2016, he was invited by National Academy of Engineering (NAE) President Dr. Dan Mote, to serve as a member of the Advisory Committee for the NAE Frontiers of Engineering Education Symposium. He is currently serving as a Commissioner on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Artificial Intelligence Commission on Competitiveness, Inclusion, and Innovation. Dr. Tucker received his Ph.D., M.S. (Industrial Engineering), and MBA degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.