Innovations in Healthcare: Neurodegenerative Disorders

This online event will present innovative diagnosis and treatment models to address the needs of patients affected by Parkinson’s and other forms of neurodegeneration.

Parkinson’s disease is the second-most common and the fastest-growing neurological disorder in the world. If left untreated, it can quickly lead to a reduced quality of life due to its effects on motor functions. A vast number of people in both the United States and Switzerland are afflicted by Parkinson but the explicit causes of the disease are still unknown. While many symptoms can be treated, there is no cure to this day.

In recent years, Parkinson’s research has shifted from a more traditional approach to an innovative one by working on a more interdisciplinary basis, using technology such as AI for the development of diagnosis and treatment models to be more responsive to the health needs of Parkinson’s disease patients.

This online seminar addresses new innovations in diagnosis and treatment models for neurodegenerative disorders. We will discuss contemporary research on neurodegenerative disorders as well as showcase a current Parkinson’s disease study as an innovative model for the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases.

The seminar is the second in a three-part series of workshops on innovations in healthcare, organized by Swissnex in Boston and the Swiss School of Health Sciences – Vaud (HESAV).

 

Program (Boston Time)

  • 11:00am: Welcome and speaker introductions
  • 11:05am:  Speaker talks begin
  • 11:45am: Open question and answer
  • 12:00pm: Event ends

 

More speakers TBA…

Speakers

  •

    Bio

    Yuzhe Yang

    MIT CSAIL

    Yuzhe Yang is a PhD student at the Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Lab of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT CSAIL) and the main author of the recently published paper ‘Artificial intelligence-enabled detection and assessment of Parkinson’s disease using nocturnal breathing signals’. Before coming to MIT he received his degree with honors from Peking University.

    His research interests lie in the intersection of machine learning and digital health. He works on improving the robustness and generalization of machine learning models across underrepresented and out-of-distribution data to enable real-world applications, especially in the health domain. He also develops innovative neural learning algorithms and systems to enable new modalities and frameworks for advancing digital health.

  •

    Bio

    Elizabeth Martin

    Northeastern University Bouvé College of Health Sciences

    Liz Martin is a Clinical Faculty member who teaches graduate level courses and supervises students in the Speech Language Hearing Center (SLHC). Liz is also a Clinical Coordinator for external clinical placements, specializing in adult medical fieldwork for the MS SLP graduate students. Liz received her MS in Communication Sciences and Disorders from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. After moving to the U.S., her career focused primarily on adult acute care and rehabilitation, with specific clinical interests in aphasia and dysphagia. She developed the Aphasia Workshop, a diagnostic clinical training experience involving volunteers from the community. Liz also collaborates with CSD research and clinical faculty in the SPEAK OUT! and LOUD Crowd program, a specialized intervention for people with Parkinson’s Disease.

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