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TECHNOLOGY
Utilizing technology to improve health Researchers throughout the College of Health and Human Development are using, advancing— and in many cases innovating—technologies to improve the health, well-being, and quality of life across populations. – Marjorie Miller
Real-time data collection, real-time intervention
Collecting data in real time versus when reported from memory can yield better interventions
bit.ly/1GnEFJd Controlling diabetes
Influencing health goals
Peter Molenaar, Distinguished Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, is researching how an “artificial pancreas” can be used to optimize insulin doses in patients with Type 1 diabetes.
Nilam Ram, associate professor of human development and family studies and psychology, aims to develop ways for people to use their own data to reach their health goals, such as better controlling drinking, smoking, and eating behaviors.
Analyzing semi-continuous data gathered via sensors and photos of meals submitted by participants, researchers developed a model predictive control used to regulate blood glucose levels to a target range with at least 90 percent accuracy. “It will take lots of work to apply it to patients in real-time,” he said. “But when the system and models are worked out, individuals will have an easier time regulating their diabetes.” Molenaar is collaborating on this project with fellow Penn State faculty members Qian Wang, professor of mechanical engineering, and Jan S. Ulbrecht, M.D., professor of biobehavioral health and medicine.
24 | Health and Human Development
“Since 2009, we began building the infrastructure to collect self-reports of health and health behaviors via smartphones in real time,” Ram said. Information about feelings, actions, and events encountered are collected via apps and websites as individuals go about their daily lives. As the data are analyzed, researchers make visualizations and sounds of those data. Long-term, these models are intended to help steer individuals toward their health goals through delivery of personalized, time-sensitive interventions to their mobile devices.