Neil Gomes

Would you prefer a 20-page report with columns and rows, or would you rather see that information in a simple pie or bar chart? Data presented in a visually simple format is easy to comprehend. From the giant screens that display your favorite coffee to the information on your phone screens, we all interact with visual information. Our lives today are filled with technology and data, and visualized data is an integrated component of the technologies we interact with. Although most industries… Show more

Would you prefer a 20-page report with columns and rows, or would you rather see that information in a simple pie or bar chart? Data presented in a visually simple format is easy to comprehend. From the giant screens that display your favorite coffee to the information on your phone screens, we all interact with visual information. Our lives today are filled with technology and data, and visualized data is an integrated component of the technologies we interact with. Although most industries have adopted data visualization for several decades, it was only the past decade that saw healthcare starting to use it to communicate information to patients. Leveraging data visualization helps us to deliver clinical insights and help with critical decision making in a quicker and more accurate manner. Healthcare undoubtedly benefits from leveraging these tools to identify trends and opportunities to optimize systems thereby improving the quality of care. Show less

There is something about smart artificial systems that fascinates us. In recent decades we have seen researchers, technology experts, large technology companies and governments across the world investing significant time in getting artificial systems to be smarter, more interactive and easier to communicate with. Smart assistants are slowly becoming an integral part of our lives, but they are far from perfect. There are many concerns and questions that must be addressed about these assistants… Show more

There is something about smart artificial systems that fascinates us. In recent decades we have seen researchers, technology experts, large technology companies and governments across the world investing significant time in getting artificial systems to be smarter, more interactive and easier to communicate with. Smart assistants are slowly becoming an integral part of our lives, but they are far from perfect. There are many concerns and questions that must be addressed about these assistants. How can we create the ideal version of this partnership? How can we break the barriers to communication with these systems? This paper will highlight how companies are addressing the issues with artificial systems by designing systems that are safer, more accurate and trustworthy. Show less

As Virtual Reality (VR) technologies have become affordable, portable, and realistic, the use of VR for education is becoming a reality. However, while VR environments are novel and interesting, this project studies if learning medical concepts in a VR environment truly improves the retention, comprehension, and motivation of medical school students. This paper presents the key results of a literature review of the current corpus of studies on these topics. The review revealed a modest number… Show more

As Virtual Reality (VR) technologies have become affordable, portable, and realistic, the use of VR for education is becoming a reality. However, while VR environments are novel and interesting, this project studies if learning medical concepts in a VR environment truly improves the retention, comprehension, and motivation of medical school students. This paper presents the key results of a literature review of the current corpus of studies on these topics. The review revealed a modest number of peer-reviewed studies that assessed the retention, comprehension, and motivation of adult learners using VR in medical education. However, these studies presented several insights summarized in this paper. Additional research needs to be done on this topic to prove the efficacy and validity of this new medium for medical training and instruction. This paper also presents avenues for future research and describes a study that the researchers plan to conduct following this literature review. Show less

While healthcare has been behind in applying human-centered design (HCD) principles to enhance service, the use of human-machine systems integration techniques in concert with HCD principles is even rarer. This paper describes the value any organization or team can derive at the confluence of these two techniques, especially in an era of Artificial and Augmented Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), and outlines the unique model used by Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health’s… Show more

While healthcare has been behind in applying human-centered design (HCD) principles to enhance service, the use of human-machine systems integration techniques in concert with HCD principles is even rarer. This paper describes the value any organization or team can derive at the confluence of these two techniques, especially in an era of Artificial and Augmented Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), and outlines the unique model used by Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health’s DICE (Digital Innovation & Consumer Experience) Group, that applies HCD thinking and human-machine integration to solve critical healthcare problems that need solving for the industry to evolve into one that is more focused on the patient and the patient experience and one that also leverages modern digital technologies such as AI, ML and the Internet of Things (IoT). Show less

This paper and associated talk is based on our experience at Jefferson Health implementing a cognitive patient concierge system. In this paper and presentation we describe: how the environmental constraints in a typical hospital (e.g., network security and privacy considerations) affect the design, how to use current speech recognition technologies to deliver acceptable levels of cognitive accuracy, how to connect various sensors and get their data correlated with speech input, how to interface… Show more

This paper and associated talk is based on our experience at Jefferson Health implementing a cognitive patient concierge system. In this paper and presentation we describe: how the environmental constraints in a typical hospital (e.g., network security and privacy considerations) affect the design, how to use current speech recognition technologies to deliver acceptable levels of cognitive accuracy, how to connect various sensors and get their data correlated with speech input, how to interface with the hospitals’ information systems and building automation systems (e.g., to control HVAC systems), and how to design for solution enhancement and maintenance. We also illustrate other human factors for placement of microphones, speakers and controls in patient rooms for both ergonomic and hygienic reasons. Show less

A decade ago, the words “hi-tech” and “government” used in a single sentence may have been the perfect image of an oxymoron. Not anymore. Not since Aneesh Chopra was appointed by President Barack Obama as the first chief technology officer of the United States.

Abstract: Digital audio is becoming increasingly popular in higher education with faculty digitally recording and broadcasting lectures for students to learn-on-demand. Students have discovered accelerated playback features in popular computer software and use it to reduce the amount of time spent listening to audio-enhanced instruction. In the current study, 183 undergraduates were randomly assigned to one of three audio-enhanced multimedia presentations that were recorded at three speeds… Show more

Abstract: Digital audio is becoming increasingly popular in higher education with faculty digitally recording and broadcasting lectures for students to learn-on-demand. Students have discovered accelerated playback features in popular computer software and use it to reduce the amount of time spent listening to audio-enhanced instruction. In the current study, 183 undergraduates were randomly assigned to one of three audio-enhanced multimedia presentations that were recorded at three speeds (1.0, 1.4, and 1.8). Results show no significant difference on performance across treatments and a significant difference on satisfaction in favor of 1.4 times the normal audio speed. The results also indicate statistical differences in favor of verbal redundancy, in which the same verbal information was presented on both an auditory and visual channel. Show less

Faculty development programs promoting the use of instructional technology vary tremendously across institutions in Florida and possibly nationwide, employing different instructional strategies and experiencing varying results. This study is a preliminary inquiry into the use of instructional technology and the utilization of supportive resources at higher-education institutions in Florida. This unique study also examines faculty opinions and best practices on the use of instructional… Show more

Faculty development programs promoting the use of instructional technology vary tremendously across institutions in Florida and possibly nationwide, employing different instructional strategies and experiencing varying results. This study is a preliminary inquiry into the use of instructional technology and the utilization of supportive resources at higher-education institutions in Florida. This unique study also examines faculty opinions and best practices on the use of instructional technology. Show less

Book chapter in F. Kochan & J. Pascarelli (Eds.), Creating successful telementoring programs (pp. 123-144)