Dozens of Florida State University researchers met this week to figure out how they could collaborate on digital health innovations.
“Collaborative Collision: Digital Health,” organized by the Office of Research Development (ORD), connected experts with specialties in health care and technology. Researchers created detailed research profiles that highlighted skills and current projects to make it easier for attendees to navigate networking opportunities for future projects that cross academic disciplines.
“Digital Health is an area of research excellence at FSU, and our scientists are using these technologies to bring better health care options to the people in our communities who need it most,” said Nicole Viverito, ORD program director. “We have research teams leveraging digital health tools to address gaps in care across the entire lifespan, from young children to older adults.”
Collaborative Collision events connect faculty from various disciplines who share research interests. This event is another example of how FSU is supporting the future of health care through FSU Health, a bold initiative to build an ecosystem that will help improve health and health care in North Florida.
“These events have generated new partnerships, publications and successful research grants, and we’re confident this event will do the same in digital health,” said Vice President for Research Stacey S. Patterson. “The interdisciplinary discussions we’re seeing today are key to addressing the challenges in this field.”
The event kicked off with roundtable discussions on topics such as health IT and data solutions, mobile app and web solutions, children and youth, chronic disease management, health equity and personalized medicine.
Researchers and practitioners shared their insights, posed questions and brainstormed solutions for real-world applications. For example, one group of mobile health specialists was looking for app developers to bring their intervention to rural communities. Another group explored how digital tools might monitor youth health more effectively with help from collaborators skilled in data analysis.
The day culminated with the announcement of Collaborative Collision LaunchPad, an opportunity for newly formed interdisciplinary teams to develop proposals for research projects and compete for seed funding. LaunchPad will fund two awards for up to $25,000 each, which will support initial research, data gathering, or tool development — essential steps for any large-scale research initiative. Projects must align with any of the following key areas of digital health:
- Wearable devices, sensors, and ambulatory monitoring.
- Mobile health/electronic health interventions.
- Telehealth and telemedicine.
- Making meaning of big data from digital health tools.
Visit the FSU Research Development website for more information on Collaborative Collision: Digital Health event or to view details of the LaunchPad Request For Applications.
