Working directly with Texas-based healthcare technology provider, student team uses data to detect pediatric cardiac diseases
Anirudh Kuchibhatia, a graduate of Independence High School in Frisco and an electrical computing engineering major at Rice University, was recently honored with a second-place prize as part of a team that competed in Rice University’s Center for Transforming Data to Knowledge (D2K Lab) spring showcase.
Kuchibhatiacompeted as part of a student team in the D2K Lab capstone program sponsored by Texas Children’s Hospital and Medical Informatics Corp. (MIC), a Houston-based healthcare technology provider that is using data to help clinicians save patient lives. The team of Rice University students took second place with their project, “Pediatric Cardiac ICU Arrhythmias Detection.” By using data from a patient’s electrocardiogram, students develop an algorithm that detects lethal heart conditions. This algorithm helps physicians to eliminate alarm fatigue and save more children who suffer from arrhythmia.
More than 300 participants from around the country took part in the D2K Lab’s virtual showcase to view ten teams of student video presentations and then interact with student teams via Zoom. A live awards ceremony — also online to observe social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic — followed the presentations. The Texas Children’s Hospital student team included Yanwan Dai, Mario Paciuc, Robert Chen, Yerin Han and Xin Tan and Kuchibhatia.
Raajen Patel, director of research with MIC, was impressed with the students’ desire to apply data to help solve real-world issues.
“Working with students that can build on each other’s skills to solve problems that might save lives across the world, or even in their own families, is both inspiring and reassuring,” Patel said. “Working with our technology, they understand how these solutions are real and possible for everyone.”
The D2K Lab’s data science and machine learning capstone course involves interdisciplinary teams of students working on semester long, real-world data science projects sponsored by D2K Affiliate members, which include corporations like MIC and others. MIC will continue to participate and support the D2K Lab and students during the upcoming academic year.