Written by: Souha Farhat, MD
I am a recent graduate (PhD) of Industrial Engineering at the University of Louisville and a data science consultant with Rift Analytics, LLC. [This will change in the next couple of months as my post-graduation employment settles.]
From a Single Question to a Research Collaboration
My work consists of a variety of engineering solutions for living kidney donation. It began with the core question, “What barriers and motivating factors contribute to a person’s decision to donate a kidney?” which persistently pressed itself upon my mind. As I studied the topic and sought to design powerful robust solutions that would have a real-world impact, I felt a significant need to have my ideas validated by a domain expert, so I emailed Dr. Waterman asking for an hour of her time. I wanted to know whether I was on track and would have been grateful for just one conversation. But in a way that I’ve learned is truly characteristic of Dr. Waterman, she caught a vision of so much more than what I had in mind and threw her passion and support behind my efforts.
Turning Online Conversations Into Insightful Data
Since then, we’ve worked together on multiple projects, mostly around classifying internet content where people are describe their experiences and feelings about living donation. Where I bring a technical perspective about automating these kinds of efforts, the Patient Engagement (PE) lab grounds the efforts in practical and scientifically established methods, such as modeling behavior using the Transtheoretical Model or Stages of Change model. What excites me about our shared work is that we can derive insights from public-facing data, whereas most information about barriers and challenges to donation is derived from people who have already participated in the transplant program in some fashion or another. However, now, we can better understand what people think about donation well before they become serious participants in the transplant process! We can also better understand the kinds of post-donation stories people tell spontaneously in digital settings. We’ve often said that it is not usually misinformation that prevents people from pursuing donations but simply a lack of information, and this has the potential to help us provide better educational resources.
Life Beyond the Lab
When I’m not on my computer for work, I’m probably still there anyway, learning how AI is transforming our world at an unprecedented pace and trying to keep up with the relentless flood of innovations. I’m thrilled to be alive at a time when the visions conjured by Alan Turing and other computing pioneers are becoming a reality. The future really is right now, and we get to live in it! But I also love the time I get to spend with my loved ones in simple pleasures like working and playing in the yard with my wife and son, fixing stuff around the house, learning how to cook Chinese food, and teaching Sunday School at church. And some days I’m really lucky and I get to play Dungeons and Dragons with my friends, slaying monsters and saving the world.
Looking Ahead: AI and the Future of Healthcare
I hope that we can be the pioneers of our day, bringing AI to healthcare, especially in a way that helps patients feel informed and confident in their decision-making. For anyone interested in getting involved with the PE lab, bring your biggest ideas and a determination to see them through because Dr. Waterman will put you to work! The team is particularly supportive of one another’s different faiths, beliefs, and convictions, which drive them toward a shared commitment to do good and do it well. It’s been a wonderful experience to collaborate with such passionate and mission-driven people, and I look forward to the journey ahead.