CENTER FOR SMART HEALTH
SMART Health Fostering Engineering, Medicine, and Nursing Research at FAU
New Grant Supports Dr. Ghoraani’s AI-Powered Gait Analysis Tool for Alzheimer’s Detection
Dr. Du Develops New Technology for Rapid Cell-Based Diagnostics
COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS
SMART Health Seed Funding Supports Fall Prevention Project Leading to External Grant
Dr. Luke Rosedahl Receives New Grant to Advance Brain-Inspired Visual Learning
SMART Health Seed Grant Supports Discovery of Motor Control Shifts After COVID-19
Computational Insights into Human Evolution from FAU PhD Graduate Sandipan Paul Arnab
SEMINAR SERIES
Walking on the Wild Side: Sensorimotor Interactions, Technologies and Clinical Studies in Human Gait
Automatic Identification, Classification and Tracking Deforming and Moving Cells and Proteins
MRI and Health at FAU and Beyond
Message from the directors
Greetings from the Center for Sensing, Monitoring, Analytics, Remote, and Technology (SMART) Health!
We, Behnaz Ghoraani and Sarah Du, are honored to step into the roles of co-directors for this innovative initiative. In a world where technology and healthcare are merging more closely than ever, the importance of blending these fields seamlessly has become crucial. The SMART Health Center stands as a testament to this convergence, dedicated to reshaping patient-centered healthcare through engineering and computer science.
Our mission is two-fold. Firstly, we aim to transform healthcare by detecting health issues early, ensuring quick interventions, and improving quality of life for everyone. Secondly, we envision a future where those leading this transformation are equipped with interdisciplinary education and training. As the healthcare industry expands, careers at the intersection of technology, medicine, public health, and human biology are on the rise. Our center aims to guide aspiring individuals in these "jobs of the future," helping them navigate the fusion of these dynamic fields.
In our journey, building strong partnerships with hospitals, the community, industry leaders, and foundations is paramount. The SMART Health Center is committed to fostering collaboration around smart health technologies and informatics, ensuring that our mission is backed by collective wisdom and cutting-edge advancements.
We are deeply grateful for the unwavering support and enthusiasm from our community. We are on the cusp of a transformative era in healthcare, and with your continued engagement, the path ahead is promising.
Thank you for being an integral part of this journey. Let's stride forward together, breaking boundaries and shaping a smarter, healthier future for all.
Behnaz Ghoraani & Sarah Du
Co-Directors, Center for SMART Health, Florida Atlantic University
Opportunities & Awards
2026 Funding Opportunities
The College of Engineering and Computer Science, the College of Medicine, and the College of Nursing, through their collaborative Center for SMART Health, along with the College of Social Work and Criminal Justice, are delighted to announce the 3rd seed funding initiative open to the whole university community. This initiative focuses on health and in particular, the following areas: (1) cancer, (2) neurodegenerative diseases, (3) social and behavioral health with a focus on substance abuse and addiction, (4) applications of artificial intelligence and data science, (5) leveraging the TriNetX database for clinical and translational research, and (6) strategies for data collection and the development of clean, high-quality analytics pipelines. Interdisciplinary proposals are highly encouraged. Proposals should demonstrate how the team’s combined expertise will advance knowledge, foster innovation, and generate measurable impact in these priority areas. It is expected that successful teams submit an external grant application within 18 months of receiving the award.
- Proposal Submission Date: 5 pm, February 27, 2026
- Award Announcement: April 1, 2026
- Grant Support Duration: July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027
If you have any questions, please contact smarthealth@eng.fau.edu
2024 Funding Opportunities
The Center for SMART Health is delighted to announce the 2024 seed funding opportunity, specifically seeking transdisciplinary proposals that emphasize 1) the use of data analytics related to local health systems/hospitals, such as Boca Raton Regional Hospital and Network and Memorial Regional Hospital, or 2) focus on basic science research with the eventual goal of technology transfer through collaboration with industry partners.
Proposal submission date: 5 pm, Friday, May 10, 2024.
Research Internship / Assistantship
Students who are interested in the SMART health research are suggested to inquiry affiliated faculty and labs about research internship and assistantship opportunities.
Seed Funding 2024 Awardees
Project: CALLM: Clinical Assistance Large language Model for Proactive Identification and Linkage of Patients to Care with Undiagnosed HIV Infection
Team:
- Xingquan Zhu, PhD, FIEEE, College of Engineering and Computer Science, FAU
- Eric Boccio, MD, MPH, Memorial Healthcare System
- Paula A. Eckardt, MD, FACP, FIDSA, MHS Ryan White Clinic, Memorial Healthcare System
Project: A Machine Learning-Driven Smart Technology to Provide Clinicians Individualized pharmacogenetic Based Precision Prescribing recommendations
Team:
- Richar Shih, MD, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, FAU
- Mike Wells, MD, PhD, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, FAU
- Ali Asghar Danesh, PhD, FAAA, CCC-A, College of Engineering and Computer Science, FAU
- Abhijit Pandya, PhD, College of Engineering and Computer Science, FAU
Project: Machine Learning Analysis & Assessment of a Non-invasive Intervention in Long COVID
Team:
- Adar Pelah, PhD, Center for Complex Systems & Brain Sciences, FAU
- Saiya George Dalmida, PhD, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, FAU
- Debarshi Datta, PhD, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, FAU
- Hari Kalva, PhD, College of Engineering and Computer Science, FAU
- Ali A. Danesh, PhD, College of Education, FAU
- David Newman, PhD, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, FAU
Inaugural Seed Funding 2023 Awardees
Project: Development of a Multi-Scale Predictive Model for COVID-19 Patient Outcomes and Long-Term Health Effects
Team:
- Debarshi Datta, PhD. Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing
- Laurie Martinez, PhD, MBA, MSN, RN. Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing
- Safiya George, PhD, APRN-BC, FNAP, FAANP. Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing
- Taghi M. Khoshgoftaar, PhD. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, College of
- Engineering and Computer Science
- David Newman, PhD. Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing
Project: Regenerative Peripheral Neural Interface (RPNI) on a Chip for Dexterous Prosthetic Hands
Team:
- Dr. Erik D. Engeberg, Department of Ocean & Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science
- Dr. Jianning Wei, Department of Biomedical Science, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
Project: TUNAA—Telehealth Use of a Nystagmus Analyzer Algorithm
Team:
- Ali A. Danesh, Department of Communications Sciences & Disorders, College of Education
- B. Sue Graves, Department of Exercise Science and Health Promotion (ESHP), Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
- Sajeel Chowdhary, Charles E Schmidt College of Medicine
- Abhijit Pandya, Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, College of Engineering and Computer Science
RESEARCH AREAS
SMART Health Technologies:
- Point-of-care disease diagnostics and prognostics.
- Smart and hybrid prosthetics.
- Functional neurosurgery.
- Wearable devices for disease monitoring, early disease prediction.
SMART Health Informatics:
- Technology/AI enabled rehabilitation.
- Remote health monitoring, data collection.
- Controlled intervention, patient centered care.
- Sensing and communication technology enabled remote health monitoring.
- Outbreak management and surveillance of population health.
DEMO projects
- A Wearable Device for Monitoring Heart Failure, led by Dr. Asghar Waseem.
- Enabling Artificial Sensations of Touch for Children with Upper Limb Amputations, led by Dr. Erik Engeberg.
- Neurosurgery: 3D Robotic Spine ‘Twin’, led by Dr. Chi-Tay Tsai.
- A Point-of-Care Device for Prediction of Sickle Cell Pain, led by Dr. Sarah Du.
- Remote monitoring of response to medication in Parkinson’s Disease Patients, led by Dr. Behnaz Ghoraani.
- Functional biomaterials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, led by Dr. Kevin Kang.
About
The Center for Sensing, Monitoring, Analytics, Remote, and Technology (SMART) Health, will facilitate the use of engineering and computer-science technologies to enable state of the art patient-centered health care, early detection of human health problems, and better quality of life; the center will support interdisciplinary education and training for “jobs of the future”- careers at the intersection of technology with medicine, nursing, public health, and human biology; the center will stimulate partnership with industry and foundations around the smart health technologies and informatics.