2025 Jump ARCHES Awards

Each year, the Jump ARCHES research program awards funding to support research involving clinicians, engineers and social scientists to develop technologies and devices that could revolutionize medical training and health care delivery. 

This year, research grants have been given to 14 projects: 

Machine Learning 4D Heart Subsegmentation

Bioengineering professor at The Grainger College of Engineering Brad Sutton and Matthew Bramlet, MD, director of the Advanced Imaging and Modeling at OSF HealthCare, were rewarded funds for their research that aims to improve cardiac imaging by automating the segmentation of heart chambers in 3D and 4D models created from CT scans. Developed by the AIM Lab, the technology uses machine learning to help doctors receive more accurate heart measurements, making diagnosis faster and easier. By shifting from 2D to advanced 4D models, the project supports better care for complex conditions like congenital heart disease and reduces the workload for medical teams. 

VR Surgical Behavioral analysis Phase 1

Jennifer Amos, a bioengineering professor at Illinois Grainger Engineering and Matthew Bramlet, MD, director of the Advanced Imaging and Modeling at OSF, received funding for their research that uses virtual reality to help surgeons better plan complex congenital heart surgeries. By turning medical scans into 3D models and using machine learning to analyze the heart, the system allows for more precise, personalized planning for the patient. It also studies how expert and new surgeons make decisions, aiming to improve training, confidence and surgical outcomes.

Automating Aortic Aneurysm Analysis from Medical Imaging: A Phase II ARCHES

Bioengineering professor at University of Illinois Grainger Brad Sutton and Matthew Bramlet, MD, director of the Advanced Imaging and Modeling at OSF, secured funding for phase II of their research to expand the technology for automated 3D aortic sedimentation and measurement. This will improve the detection and monitoring of aortic aneurysms to automatically measure the aorta in 3D from CT and MRI scans. The new phase will expand the tool to work across different types of scans, helping doctors catch problems earlier, reduce errors and better identify patients at risk. 

Virtual Patient with Mixed Reality Haptic Task Trainers for Neurologic Exam

Elizabeth Hsiao-Wecksler, Grayce Wicall Gauthier professor in The Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering at The Grainger College of Engineering, Christopher Zallek, MD, neuromuscular specialist and neurologist at OSF HealthCare, and Inki Kim, a research assistant professor in The Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering at The Grainger College of Engineering, obtained funding support to use mixed reality and touch-based robotic trainers to help healthcare students practice neurological exams on virtual patients. By stimulating muscle tone and reflexes, the system gives trainees a more realistic, hands-on experience. The goal is to improve clinical training and lead to better care for patients with neurological conditions. 

AI-Driven Prediction and Prevention of DKA in Pediatric T1DM (Phase II)

Jimeng Sun, a health innovation professor in The Siebel School of Data and Computer Science at The Grainger College of Engineering, Adam Cross, a clinical informatics specialist and pediatrics hospitalist with OSF HealthCare, Mark Miller and Valeria Claudia Benavides Lopez, both pediatric endocrinologists at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois and Maciej Wieczorek, a University of Illinois Grainger graduate student received a grant to create an AI tool to better predict and prevent diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in patients with type 1 diabetes. Instead of relying on A1c levels, it uses three models to screen, confirm risk and monitor patients over time. The goal is to catch problems early, provide timely care and avoid unnecessary treatments, leading to better outcomes and more efficient use of healthcare resources. 

Canine pre-clinical imaging models for neurological interventions in glioma

Kari Foss, assistant professor in The Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Andrew Tsung, director of neurological services at OSF HealthCare, Brad Sutton Illinois Grainger Engineering professor in bioengineering, Fan Lam, associate professor in bioengineering at Illinois Grainger Engineering and director of the MS in BIS Program, Aaron Anderson, PhD candidate in Mechanical and Science Engineering at Illinois Grainger Engineering, Matthew R. Berry, assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine at University of Illinois and Rebecca Bishop, an equine surgeon and emergency and critical care fellow at Illinois were awarded funds to develop advanced, non-invasive imaging tools to better detect and understand brain tumors (gliomas) in both humans and dogs. Using specialized magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), the team aims to see how tumors function, looking beyond the limitations of a traditional MRI scan. Studying dogs with suspected gliomas will also help researchers test and predict how treatments might work in people, leading to improved diagnosis and therapy for both species. 

High-fidelity Pediatric Heart and Fontan Assistive Device Simulators (Phase II)

Sameh Tawfick, a professor in Mechanical Science and Engineering at Illinois Grainger Engineering, Harma Turbendian, MD, a thoracic and cardiac surgeon at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois, and Matthew Bramlet, MD, director of the Advanced Imaging and Modeling at OSF HealthCare, received aid to develop a new technology that uses 3D printing and soft, muscle-like materials to create realistic heart models. The focus is on helping children with heart conditions by building tools like a pediatric heart simulation, a mitral valve tester and a support device for Fontan patients. The goal is to improve training, testing and treatment. In Phase II, the team will improve the designs, seek funding and work toward real-world medical use, aiming to better care for patients with heart defects. 

AI-Assisted Wellbeing Support for Family Caregivers of Dementia Patients

Koustav Saha, assistant professor in Computer Science at Illinois Grainger Engineering, Daniel S. Brown, a clinical neuropsychologist at OSF HealthCare, Violeta J. Rodriguez, an assistant professor in The Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Ravi Karvar, an advanced heart failure specialist and cardiologist at Duke Cardiology Clinic and Dong Whi Yoo, assistant professor in The Department of Human-Centered Computing at Indiana University Indianapolis, received funding to create an AI tool to help caregivers of individuals with dementia. It will offer real-time emotional support, connect caregivers with helpful resources and fit into regular doctor visits. Key features include checking how caregivers are doing, tracking their stress, and offering personalized advice. A chatbot guided by health experts will share proven mental health tips, and a dashboard will help doctors keep an eye on caregiver needs. The goal is to reduce stress, improve mental health, and support better care for caregivers and patients. 

Advancing Physical Immersion toward Low-Input High-Return Simulation (phase II)

Inki Kim, a research assistant professor in Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering at Illinois Grainger Engineering, Paul Jeziorczak, MD, a pediatric surgeon at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois and clinical assistant professor of surgery at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria, and Anthony M. Dwyer, director of surgical education at University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria, were awarded funds for their research that aims to improve medical training using simple, high-impact simulations. It focuses on better CPR training for patients’ families and surgical skills for residents. By using mixed reality and digital twin technology, the project makes training more realistic and can even predict risks like rib fractures. The goal is to boost learning and patient care with affordable, effective tools at OSF and UICOMP. 

Leveraging AI to reduce provider burden in lifestyle medicine shared medical appointments

Mashfiqui Rabbi, research assistant professor in The Siebel School of Computing and Data Science at Illinois Grainger Engineering, John Vozenilek, MD,  chief medical officer for digital health and innovation, Sarah Zallek, vice president and chief medical officer for OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center,  and Sharifa Sultana, assistant professor in The Siebel School of Computing and Data Science at Illinois Grainger Engineering received funds to improve group medical visits focused on lifestyle changes. The project will identify high-risk individuals and group them into similar cohorts for peer support. AI will analyze sleep data from wearables to guide personalized care. By automating patient selection and making these visits more effective, better health outcomes will arise.

Utilizing machine learning to predict asthma exacerbations in children

Jimeng Sun, health innovation professor in Computer Science at Illinois Grainger Engineering, Adam Cross, MD, a clinical informatics specialist and pediatrics hospitalist with OSF HealthCare, Christopher Colasurdo, resident physician at Children’s Hospital of Illinois and Malek Shawabkeh an Illinois Grainger Engineering graduate student obtained aid to create a personalized model to predict asthma attacks in children using data from electronic health records, including how well they follow medication plans. By combining advanced data analysis methods, the model will focus on high-risk patients, especially from underserved communities. The aim is to prevent asthma flare-ups, improve care at home, reduce emergency visits and lower healthcare costs. 

Leveraging Continuous Smartphone Sensor Data in Spine Surgery

James Rehg, a founder professor in Computer Science and Industrial Enterprise Systems Engineering at Illinois Grainger Engineering, Mark Chwajol, a neurosurgeon at University of Illinois Health and University of Illinois Chicago, Syed I. Khalid, a resident in the department of neurology at The College of Medicine at Chicago, Ankit I. Mehta, associate professor of neurosurgery and chief of spine surgery at the University of Illinois College of Medicine and John H. Shin, chief of spine surgery at Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System, were awarded funds to develop a secure mobile app to improve recovery after spine surgery. Using data from iPhones—like movement, light exposure, and location—along with patient feedback, the app tracks recovery in real time. It sets a baseline before surgery to spot problems early, predict issues like readmissions or opioid use, and monitor long-term risks like implant failure. The long-term goal is to improve outcomes, reduce hospital visits and lower healthcare costs.

I-DocAssist: AI based Assistant for Claims Optimization & Denial Reduction

Dilek Hakkani-Tür, a professor in Computer Science at Illinois Grainger Engineering, Sohail Syed, MD, a neurological surgeon at OSF HealthCare and James Rehg, a founder professor in Computer Science and Industrial Enterprise Systems Engineering at Illinois Grainger Engineering, obtained an award to build an AI assistant to help healthcare providers with insurance paperwork. Using advanced language models, it will guide clinicians during patient visits by flagging insurance requirements and suggesting needed documentation. The system will keep track of changing rules, help avoid claim denials and speed up the process. Over time, it will also automate claim forms, write appeal letters and track insurance trends, freeing up more time for patient care.

Voice Vitals: Phase II

Mary Pietrowicz, a senior research scientist at the Illinois Applied Research Institute and teaching assistant professor in biomedical and translational sciences at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Sarah Donohue, director of research services at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria and Anastasia Stoops, a postdoctoral research fellow in Psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, were granted funds for Phase II to further their research of treating and diagnosing anxiety disorders and major depressive disorders in rural and underserved areas. In Phase I, they used short speech samples to train models that could detect signs of anxiety and depressive disorders. Now, in Phase II, they are collecting speech data over time and improving models using both voice and language patterns. Also, they are building a secure, user-friendly app for treatment support. The goal is to create practical, privacy-safe tools that make mental health support more accessible.

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Jump Applied Research in Community Health through Engineering and Simulation (ARCHES) Research Program was established in 2014. This program is an endowment partnership between Jump Simulation and Education Center at OSF HealthCare, the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria (IUCOMP) and The Grainger College of Engineering at Illinois. It aims to provide direct access and grants to engineers and physicians to fight against problems within HealthCare.