Artificial Intelligence, or AI, has surged in recent years, with commercially available consumer applications like ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and other platforms promising to make our lives easier in any number of ways. We are now seeing the shift in healthcare to using AI. AI diagnostic tools appear to have important use cases in areas such as radiology, cancer care, and cardiovascular diseases. AI programs have automated the analysis of genetic data, and might lead the way to making personalized medicine and increasing the efficacy of screening for genetic diseases. And wearable tech has evolved to clinical-grade monitors that alert healthcare providers to subtle health changes in real-time.
Our guest editors for this issue are Weisong Shi, PhD, Alumni Distinguished Professor, IEEE Fellow, Leader of the Connected and Autonomous Research (CAR) Laboratory, and Chair, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, and Yixiang Deng, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer & Information Science, both at the University of Delaware. They have curated an excellent survey of how AI and Big Data are being used in the health sciences in Delaware, and what we may look forward to in the future.
Table of Contents
3 | In This Issue: AI and Big Data in the Health Sciences
Omar A. Khan, M.D., M.H.S. & Katherine Smith, M.D., M.P.H.
4 | From the Guest Editors: Artificial Intelligence and Big Data in the Health Sciences
Weisong Shi, Ph.D. & Yixiang Deng, Ph.D.
5 | Highlights from the Nation’s Health
Part I. Care Delivery and Human-AI Collaboration
6 | Pioneering the Nation’s First Nursing Research Fellowship in Robotics and Innovation
Susan D. Smith, Ph.D., R.N.; Kathryn Shady, Ph.D., R.N.; Briana Abernathy, B.S.N., R.N.; & Morgan Tallo, B.S.N., R.N.
10 | When Collaborative Robots Meet the Bedside: Nurses Informing Emerging Artificial Intelligence Technology
Susan D. Smith, Ph.D., R.N. & Danielle Weber, D.N.P., M.S.M., R.N.-B.C., N.E.A.-B.C.
12 | Autonomous Wheelchairs Deployment in Healthcare Facilities: Requirements and Challenges
Mingyu Guo & Weisong Shi, Ph.D.
20 | Human-AI Cooperation in Healthcare and Rehabilitation
Austin Brockmeier, Ph.D.; Panagiotis Artemiadis, Ph.D.; Hacene Boukari, Ph.D.; Chris Callison-Burch, Ph.D.; Eric Eaton, Ph.D.; Joel Harley, Ph.D.; Thomas Powers, Ph.D.; Jose C. Principe, Ph.D.; Darcy Reisman, Ph.D.; Cathy Wu, Ph.D
28 | A Blueprint for Partnership between AI and MD
Thomas Schwaab, M.D., Ph.D. & Patrick Callahan, Esq.
Part II. Biomedical Intelligence and Predictive Health Modeling
32 | Beyond Cognitive Load: AI-Based Estimation of Cognitive Effort Using Brain Signals During Digital Tasks
Shayla Sharmin, M.Sc.; Mohammad Fahim Abrar, M.D.; Gael Lucero-Palacios; Aditya Raikwar; Roghayeh Leila Barmaki
46 | Recent Advances in Modeling and Prediction of Blood Glucose in Type 1 Diabetes
Yixiang Deng, Ph.D.; Yiwei Kong, M.S.; Xuechun Wang, M.S.; & He Li, Ph.D.
54 | Bias Patterns in the Application of LLMs for Clinical Decision Support: A Comprehensive Study
Raphael Poulain, Ph.D.; Farzana Islam Adiba, M.Sc.; Hamed Fayyaz, Ph.D.; Rahmatollah Beheshti, Ph.D.
68 | Model-Informed Drug Development: Addressing the Critical Need for Training in the Promising New Field
Yasaman Moghadamnia, Ph.D.; Ryan Zurakowski, Ph.D.; Mohammad Aminul Islam, Ph.D.
72 | Fogarty International – Global Health Matters
Part III. Community Health, Prevention, and Public Health Innovation
92 | How Strong Data Infrastructure Could Transform Delaware’s Firearm Violence Prevention Ecosystem
Lauren Footman, M.S.O.D.; Danielle Fisher; Alexandra Wynn, Ph.D.
98 | Snapshot of Diabetes Risk, Risk Awareness, and Lifestyle Change Factors in Older Adults Attending Delaware Senior Centers
Laurie Ruggiero, Ph.D. & Elizabeth Orsega-Smith, Ph.D.
106 | Improving Context-Aware Personalized Nudging: Using Wearable Sensors to Reduce Sedentary Behavior
Tanvir Rahman, M.S.; Ajith Vemuri, Ph.D.; Cora J. Firkin, Ph.D.; Barry Bodt, Ph.D.; Elizabeth Orsega-Smith, Ph.D.; Gregory M. Dominick, Ph.D.; & Keith Decker, Ph.D.
114 | Maria in 2035: Delaware as a Living Laboratory for AI-Enabled Public Health
Neil G. Hockstein, M.D. & Patrick J. Callahan, J.D.
Part IV. Policy, Leadership, and Responsible Health Transformation
118 | Recent Developments in United States Vaccine Policy: A Narrative Review
Suhani Bhatt & Katherine Smith, M.D., M.P.H.
122 | Harnessing AI for Transformative Healthcare: Proceedings and Strategic Roadmap from AI4Health Industry Day 2026 in Delaware
Celia Payen, Ph.D.; Xi Peng; Weisong Shi, Ph.D.; Patrick Callahan, Esq.
128 | Perspective: Delaware’s Vision for Responsible Innovation in Health Care
Secretary Christen Linke Young
130 | Lexicon – AI and Big Data in the Health Sciences
131 | Index of Advertisers