Networking for Next Generation Healthcare IT

Home Page:

Researchers:

Professor S.J. Ben Yoo (PI)
Professor Tom Nesbitt (Co-PI)
Dr. David Harry (Co-PI)
Professor Zhi Ding (Co-PI)
Javeed Siddiqui (Co-PI)
SSME Executive Director Ravi Nemana (Co-PI)
Dr. James Marcin (Co-PI)

Themes:

Groups:

Technology:

Software Infrastructure for Sensor Nets and Real-Time Systems, Integrated Microsystems: Electronics, Optoelectronics, MEM's, and Nanosystems, Information Technology, Human-Centric Computing

Healthcare is a $2 Trillion/year industry which amounts to 16% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product. These numbers are expected to rapidly rise as the aging baby boomers will continue to increase the elderly age group population (people above 60 years of age) from the current 10% level to the 25% level in 2030. While the advances in hardware and software technologies for healthcare services have been remarkable, networking remains as the main hurdle in delivering much needed modern healthcare services in a timely and cost-effective manner.

This project pursues innovative wireless, wireline, and optical networking to support very high-throughput and mobile applications. In particular, the proposed networking will address ‘first-minute-healthcare-delivery’ to patients that require immediate medical diagnosis and treatment. For instance, a stroke patient should receive immediate medical monitoring and care based on advanced medical imaging and patient databases within the first minute of the crisis, even if the medical facilities are far away. This is made possible by combining gigabitwireless mesh networking on mobile ambulances and high-speed optical networking working seamlessly to achieve very high-throughput mobile networking. Considering that 92% of California’s landmass is rural, the benefit to the society from this new healthcare networking is immense.