News
New Video: Honoring Immigrant Researchers: Nabil Simaan
Jun. 25, 2018—Nabil Simaan is a professor of mechanical engineering, computer science and otolaryngology and leads the Advanced Robotics and Mechanism Applications lab. His research includes human-robot interaction, robotic systems for surgical assistance, robot-assisted manufacturing, theoretical kinematics of mechanisms, synthesis and optimization of robots and mechanisms, design of flexure mechanisms and flexible robots, parallel robots, actuation redundancy...
Yuankai Huo, MASI Lab quoted in Nvidia article “Making Ultrasound Ultra-Speedy with Deep Learning”
Jun. 19, 2018—Abdominal ultrasound tests for organ abnormalities haven’t changed much in the past decade, with a doctor moving a wand over the patient’s abdomen to gaze at blurry images. But the process could get accelerated by a thousand times with improved accuracy, based on deep learning work by U.S. researchers.
Benoit Dawant awarded Vanderbilt University Discovery Grant
Jun. 14, 2018—Congratulations to Benoit Dawant, director of VISE and Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in Engineering, recently awarded a Discovery Grant for his project, “Automated Analysis of Skin Images”. The grant supports new ideas, cutting-edge research, & serves as a catalyst for significant external funding sources.
VISE and Siemen’s researchers develop AI system that automatically examines abdominal ultrasounds
Jun. 5, 2018—Sixty to seventy million people in the U.S. suffer from gastrointestinal diseases and the best way to clinically diagnose the exact problem is to perform an abdominal ultrasound. However, the process is labor intensive and sometimes inefficient. To help solve the issue, researchers from Siemens and Vanderbilt University developed a deep learning-based system that can automatically interpret...
VISE affiliates team up with multiple collaborators to investigate brainstem connectivity in epilepsy
Jun. 5, 2018—New research from Vanderbilt suggests that repeated seizures reduce brainstem connectivity, a possible contributor to unexplained neurocognitive problems in epilepsy patients
Brett Byram talks to UPI about his new National Science Foundation grant
May. 21, 2018—Ultrasound helmet to help scientists image the brain, tap into neural networks
Nabil Simaan specializes in getting robotic surgical tools from the lab to the operating room
May. 9, 2018—The path from university lab to commercialization is especially complex in the biotech industry. Challenges range from long lead times, sometimes measured in decades, to the costs of transforming ideas into innovations, as well as issues of intellectual property, patenting and licensing.
Brett Byram leads team to develop ultrasound technology for the brain that could mean real-time images during surgery
May. 8, 2018—Ultrasound technology for the brain could mean real-time images during surgery, a better idea of which areas get stimulated by certain feelings or actions and, ultimately, an effective way for people to control software and robotics by thinking about it.
Brett Byram receives NSF career development award
Apr. 12, 2018—Brett Byram, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, has received a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development grant. The five-year, $549,995 grant – Ultrasound Brain-Computer Interface – begins May 1, 2018. The award funds the development of a next-generation ultrasound device to enable real-time ultrasonic visualization, without the use of contrast agents, of brain perfusion...
VISE Spring Seminar – Mitch Edgeworth, MBA
Apr. 4, 2018—VISE Seminar to be led by Mitch Edgeworth, MBA, Chief Executive Officer, Vanderbilt University Hospital and Clinics Date: Thursday, April 12, 2018 Location: Stevenson Center 5326 Time: 12:25 p.m. start, 12:15 p.m. lunch Title: Addressing the Challenges of the Healthcare Landscape, Today and Tomorrow Short Bio: Mitch Edgeworth serves as the Chief Executive Officer for...
Engineering faculty to lead two new University Courses
Mar. 28, 2018—School of Engineering faculty will lead two of the five newest University Courses, which are designed to promote new and creative trans-institutional teaching and learning and advance Vanderbilt’s mission.
VISE affiliate wins Best Student Paper Award at ISMR2018
Mar. 16, 2018—Two graduate student affiliates of the Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering were recognized for their innovative work at the inaugural IEEE International Symposium in Medical Robotics. Nicolo Garbin, a graduate student in mechanical engineering and member of the STORM Lab, won the Best Student Paper Award as lead author for the paper, “A Disposable...
VISE Spring Seminar – Eric Tkaczyk, MD, PhD
Mar. 16, 2018—VISE Spring Seminar to be led by Eric Tkaczyk, M.D., Ph.D., Director, Cutaneous Imaging Clinic (VCIC) Assistant Professor of Dermatology and Biomedical Engineering Attending Dermatologist, VA Medical Center Date: Thursday, March 29, 2018 Location: Stevenson Center 5326 Time: 12:25 p.m. start, 12:15 p.m. lunch Title: Bringing New Technology to Dermatology Patients: Initial Experiences of the Vanderbilt...
SPIE 2018 Special Workshop organized by VISE steering committee member, Michael Miga
Mar. 6, 2018—Last year, when SPIE put out a Special Issue Call for Papers in SPIE’s Journal of Medical Imaging, Harvie Branscomb Professor of Biomedical Engineering Michael I. Miga, PhD, proposed the first issue ever devoted specifically to image-guided procedures, robotic interventions and modeling. Not only did SPIE welcome the idea, but it has become the largest...
VISE affiliates honored at the February 2018 SPIE Medical Imaging Conference
Mar. 5, 2018—Four VISE affiliates were recognized for their outstanding work this year at the annual SPIE Medical Imaging meeting. Meg Bobo, a sophomore in electrical engineering, won the Cum Laude Poster Award in the Image Processing conference for her poster, “Fully convolutational neural networks improve abdominal organ segmentation.” Posters are reviewed by conference committees and chosen...
VISE takes SPIE Medical Imaging 2018 by storm
Mar. 2, 2018—Research is a huge component of involvement with Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering (VISE) but affiliation also comes with sharing that research and meeting like-minded scientists to make significant impacts in healthcare. Each year VISE participates in the SPIE Medical Imaging meeting, which is internationally recognized as the premier forum for relating state-of-the-art research...
Highlighting SPIE 2018 student presentations – Cam Bermudez
Mar. 2, 2018—Cam Bermudez, an MD/PhD student in the Medical-image Analysis and Statistical Interpretation (MASI) Lab, attended SPIE Medical Imaging meeting once before but 2018 was a different experience entirely. Bermudez went as a speaker. As lead author, Bermudez presented the paper titled, “Learning implicit brain MRI manifolds with deep learning.” The lab, part of the Vanderbilt...
Highlighting SPIE 2018 student presentations – Srijata Chakravorti
Mar. 2, 2018—Srijata Chakravorti, a graduate student in the electrical engineering department, believes attending SPIE Medical Imaging 2018 and other professional conferences is a great way to connect with other researchers and learn about work is beyond the “bubbles” of their own labs and institutions. They also indicate where the field of medical imaging and image-guided patient...
Highlighting SPIE 2018 student presentations – James Ferguson
Mar. 2, 2018—James Ferguson is a mechanical engineering graduate student in the Medical Engineering and Discovery (MED) Lab, said presenting at SPIE Medical Imaging this year was “a fantastic experience for me from a professional development standpoint.” As lead author, Ferguson presented the paper titled, “Toward image-guided partial nephrectomy with the da Vinci robot: exploring intraoperative re-...
Highlighting SPIE 2018 student presentations – Winona Richey
Mar. 2, 2018—Winona Richey is a first-year biomedical engineering graduate student whose area of research includes image guidance for breast cancer surgery. Richey, who is in the Biomedical Modeling Lab (BML), a Vanderbilt Institute of Surgery and Engineering (VISE) lab, was among the VISE students who presented work at the 2018 SPIE Medical Imaging meeting. As lead...
Highlighting SPIE 2018 student presentations – Mark George
Mar. 2, 2018—Mark George is an undergraduate student at Vanderbilt University School of Engineering and a member of the Biomedical Elasticity and Acoustical Measurement (BEAM) Lab. Under the direction of Brett Byram, PhD, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, George participated for the first time at the 2018 SPIE Medical Imaging meeting, an internationally recognized the premier forum...
Spring Seminar – Lori Jordan, MD
Feb. 23, 2018—VISE Spring Seminar to be led by Lori Jordan, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology, Director, Pediatric Stroke Program, Vanderbilt University Medical Center Date: Thursday, March 15, 2018 Location: Stevenson Center 5326 Time: 12:25 p.m. start, 12:15 p.m. lunch Title: “Sickle Cell Disease, Cerebral Hemodynamics, and Stroke” Abstract: Children and adults...
Spring Seminar – Diandra Ayala-Peacock, M.D.
Feb. 9, 2018—VISE Spring Seminar to be led by Diandra Ayala-Peacock, M.D. Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology Vanderbilt University Medical Center Date: Thursday, February 22, 2018 Location: Stevenson Center 5326 Time: 12:25 p.m. start, 12:15 p.m. lunch Title: Image Guidance in the Management of Gynecologic Malignancies Bio: Dr. Ayala-Peacock is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology specializing in...
Engineering undergrads from DIIGI lab present their research at SPIE Photonics
Jan. 30, 2018—A new device that can image diseases of the retina more quickly will soon be tested during ophthalmic surgeries with Vanderbilt Eye Institute collaborators. The prototype was designed by a Vanderbilt engineering undergraduate, who is first author on a paper about the work she will present today at the largest photonics conference in the world.
VISE Spring Seminar – Jack Abbott, PhD
Jan. 30, 2018—to be delivered by Jake Abbott, PhD, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah Robotics Center Date: Thursday, February 8, 2018 Location: Stevenson Center 5326 Time: 12:25 p.m. start, 12:15 p.m. lunch Title: Magnetic Manipulation in Medical Robotics Abstract: Microscale and mesoscale robotic devices that navigate the natural pathways of the human body...
BIEN Lab wins three awards at NANS 2018
Jan. 22, 2018—The BIEN Lab was honored three times during this year’s North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS) Annual Meeting. Dr. Dario Englot, assistant professor of neurological surgery, radiology and radiological sciences, and biomedical engineering, won the prestigious Kumar New Investigator Award for his paper titled, “Altered structural and functional connectivity of brainstem arousal centers in temporal lobe...
VISE Spring Seminar – Jason A. Spector, M.D., FACS
Jan. 12, 2018—VISE Spring Seminar to be led by Jason A. Spector, M.D., FACS Professor of Plastic Surgery, Otolaryngology, and Bioengineering, Weill Cornell Medical College (Hosted by VU Biomedical Engineering, co-sponsored by VISE) Date: Thursday, January 25, 2018 Location: Stevenson Center 5326 Time: 12:25 p.m. start, 12:15 p.m. lunch Title: The Ultimate Plastic Surgery: Tissue Regeneration, Biomimicry and Precision Medicine....
Tech transfer course gives grad students real-world journey
Jan. 10, 2018—PhD candidates, including two VISE affiliates, work with law and business school students on tech commercialization
MASI Lab teams up with EnvoyAI to develop segmentation algorithms
Jan. 9, 2018—The MASI lab is collaborating on the development of deep learning algorithms for abdomen segmentation that leverage artificial intelligence to better understand and diagnose disease. The MASI lab, affiliated with the Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering, is working with a team from EnvoyAI, which aims to simplify access to new AI algorithms by providing...
VISE symposium explores interoperative fluorescence to light up tumors
Jan. 2, 2018—Using fluorescently labeled antibodies as a contrast agent can give cancer surgeons highly specific real-time detection of tumors that may accelerate diagnosis, preserve more healthy tissue, and improve patient outcomes. Dr. Eben Rosenthal, keynote speaker at the VISE symposium, discusses using near-infrared fluorescence to improve detection of cancer margins. (Joe Howell/Vanderbilt) “There is a tension...