Dr. Shaoen Wu, State Farm Endowed Chair in the School of Information Technology, has joined OSF HealthCare and additional partners to work on a project that provides a major impact on communities across the state of Illinois.
Through a partnership with the Illinois Innovation Network (IIN) and an innovation team at OSF HealthCare, the group is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to design and implement a mobile child vaccination program that will serve high risk communities throughout Illinois.
As a partner in the collaboration, Wu will use AI tools to create a vaccination dashboard, with heatmaps that identify geographic areas with the highest rates of under vaccinated individuals. The AI technology will also help to predict the need for vaccine supplies in high risk areas, sorted by zip code.
So far, Wu has appreciated the opportunity to create an impact on the community through his work.
“The outcome of the project will significantly improve the vaccination for kids in the underserved communities in Central Illinois, with timely and sufficient vaccine supplies and distribution. We can work across disciplines (computer science and medical) to make a real impact on our communities,” he said.
The project was funded by multiple grants, including nearly $30,000 from the IIN and $75,000 from OSF HealthCare’s Jump Simulation program.
Illinois State joined the IIN in 2019. The network is a collaborative effort, with a goal of creating opportunities for innovation, progress, and economic growth through research, workforce development, and entrepreneurship projects. It consists of partners in various locations throughout the state (such as University of Illinois, Northern Illinois University, and Discovery Partners Institute) who work with each other to share resources and knowledge.
“This is our first time working with OSF, and we have had a very enjoyable collaboration. We had regular meetings to discuss milestones and project updates. We (both ISU and OSF) have greatly enjoyed our collaboration,” said Wu.
The project was just recently started and is expected to take around a year to finish. Wu will be joined by an undergraduate student assistant, who will help with the project implementation.
Want to learn more about Dr. Wu, or programs and majors in the School of Information Technology? Visit its website here.
View more details on the project in this article from OSF HealthCare.
