VISE affiliate awarded 2019 AHA Predoctoral Fellowship
A biomedical engineering graduate student who is participating in the Medical Scientist Training Program has received a two-year fellowship aimed at improving global cardiovascular health.
Camilo Bermudez Noguera, a VISE affiliate in the MASI Lab, received the 2019 Predoctoral Fellowship from the American Heart Association.
“I am incredibly excited for this opportunity. I believe this fellowship will allow me to integrate my clinical and scientific interests in a way that can advance science and help future patients. It is a very exciting time to work on bringing advancements in computer science to the bedside.”
His project “Machine learning to define the clinical and imaging features of heart failure in the setting of dementia” aims to improve care by identifying the clinical and imaging markers present in patients with concominant cognitive decline and heart failure.
Heart failure is an emerging risk factor for dementia. However, it is unclear if heart failure develops independently or through interactions with other medical conditions, such as abnormalities in brain structure. Identifying patterns in clinical data and medical imaging that distinguish patients with heart failure-associated dementia from patients with unrelated dementia could point towards an underlying biological mechanism, which can lead to better diagnosis and treatments.
Using clinical and imaging big data, Cam Bermudez wants to identify the clinical and imaging features that differentiate dementia associated with heart failure from dementia with no link. The long-term goal is to translate these personalized, non-invasive quantitative tools to the clinical setting and improve care for patients with heart failure.
The prestigious fellow includes a stipend for two years and $2,000 annually for project support.