With support from the Edward Heiken Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute Fund, six Illinois students are conducting research that will have significant impact on studies of cognitive and brain health. The students are working collaboratively with an Illinois researcher and a clinical or community partner to learn how research can be applied in real-world settings for improved brain health.
Yurui Cao, a doctoral student in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, and Neeraj Wagh, a doctoral student in the Department of Bioengineering, are both recipients of the Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance Graduate Fellowship for Technology-Based Healthcare. The program provides a unique opportunity for Illinois graduate students to work collaboratively with Mayo Clinic researchers and clinicians on a translational research project aimed at developing new technologies and clinical tools. Fellows typically spend one year at Illinois and one year at Mayo Clinic.
Cao’s project focuses on understanding the mechanisms underlying brain stimulation and its interaction with epilepsy and behavior. Her specific role is to develop computational models of disease progression and intelligent control algorithms. At the same time, other interns contribute by improving hardware design or building mobile and web applications for real-time data access.
“Everyone has their own expertise — from surgeons working on device implantation, to researchers managing and cleaning long-term patient data, to analysts exploring neural signals from different perspectives,” Cao said. “It really feels like we are all part of a larger system, working together toward the shared goal of advancing personalized brain stimulation therapies.”
Wagh’s project focuses on developing machine learning tools to predict disease states and treatment response in patients suffering from neurological and psychiatric diseases. This research seeks to improve the moderate success rates of current standards-of-care, providing better treatment decisions and outcomes for epilepsy, stroke, and depression patients.
The late Edward (Rick) Heiken, a 1972 economics graduate and long-time donor and supporter of Illinois, gave a more than $4.5 million estate gift to IHSI in 2023 toward brain health research and innovation. In addition to providing support for the graduate fellows, some of the fund is also benefiting four undergraduate students and their community-engaged research projects through the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute (IHSI)’s Community-Academic Scholars program: Marina Justo, a rising senior majoring in sociology, Olivia Ross, a rising senior majoring in psychology, Yukeng (Leo) Wang, a rising junior majoring in industrial design, and Maya Westbrook, a rising senior majoring in clinical/community psychology.
Their community-engaged projects address brain health from many unique angles:
- Assessment of self-guided mindfulness-based interventions to reduce postpartum pain and postpartum depression among Latina mothers
- Development of training and resources about accessibility and neurodiversity
- Evaluation of assistive robots to address the needs of older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment/early Alzheimer’s Disease, and/or mobility impairments
- Conducting body mapping sessions with home visitors and doulas to explore the impacts of their work on their physical, emotional, and intellectual well-being.
For Marina Justo, the project is an opportunity to use her insights from studying sociology and racial disparities to create meaningful interventions.
“For brain health specifically, it is so crucial to understand the social structures as there are many observed disparities for people from different communities,” Marina said. “This is why I’m deeply appreciative of how this research focuses on Latina women’s perspectives specifically, as it is a unique lived experience and one that is not often taken into consideration or prioritized in dominant discourse.”
Olivia Ross was inspired to apply to the Community-Academic Scholars program to both enrich her journey to becoming an occupational therapist and contribute to creating a more informed and inclusive community around neurodiversity and accessibility.
“This summer, I’m excited to give back to a community that has already given me so much over the past three years at the University of Illinois,” Ross said. “My ability to contribute to this project is the result of everything I’ve learned from community members and mentors along the way. It feels incredibly meaningful to bring that learning full circle by applying it to a project that can create a lasting impact for Champaign-Urbana.”
The fellowship programs and student research experiences offered by IHSI prepare students to address personal, public, and planetary health challenges. Across all programs, students learn to approach research problems using diverse perspectives, including their own viewpoints and life experiences. They not only consider knowledge from different disciplines, but also integrate the perspectives of clinicians, patients, community organizations, and community members.
This blending of expertise, spirit of collaboration, and broad view of health is what spawns health innovation, according to Prof. Stephen Boppart, Director of IHSI.
“IHSI’s campus-wide position as an interdisciplinary research unit for health science, technology, and innovation, and its unique programs and strategic partnerships, offer immense opportunity for researchers, collaborators, students, donors, and anyone invested in health to make a real impact,” said Boppart. “We are grateful to Mr. Heiken for his generosity and vision and continue to seek collaborative opportunities to advance research and translation in brain health and other areas of health innovation.”