Research Summary

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I am the Director of the Network Reconnaissance Lab (NetRecon) which investigates full stack systems for distributing, protecting, and authenticating data in opportunistic networking scenarios for remote patient monitoring, smart cities, and natural disasters to improve the livelihood of people. I evaluate real-world applications of opportunistic delay tolerant networks (DTNs and human centered computing to empower device-to-device (D2D) social networks for crowd sourcing information. Leveraging opportunistic communication provides complementary solutions to traditional networks which are typically dependent upon centralized infrastructures such as the Internet. The goal of my research is to make critical  data accessible to vulnerable communities in the midst of intermittent and poor connectivity while minimizing delay.

Resilient networking technology that facilitates the flow of information can be deployed in resource-deprived environments and play an instrumental role in disseminating data that can save lives. Reliance on Internet connectivity is detrimental when modern networking technology is unavailable, power outages are frequent, or network connectivity is sparse or non-existent (i.e., rural environments, natural disasters, and developing countries). My current research provides systems and frameworks for building domain specific mobile applications for routing information in vivo to dynamically create delay tolerant online/offline networks.

Routing for Remote Patient Care

Rural communities are often plagued with higher rates of chronic disease prevalence and lower access to clinical providers. As a result, rural residents have less access to health services than their urban counterparts. A promising solution to health disparity in rural areas is through the use of mobile health (mHealth) solutions which has been shown to improve the timeliness of clinical decision making, decrease the length of hospital stays, and reduce mortality rates. Despite these promising results, and national efforts to accelerate broadband deployment in underserved areas of the US, rural patients do not benefit to the same extent as their non-rural counterparts due to geographical and financial barriers that result in limited or nonexistent access to broadband connectivity. Additionally, the prevalent design of mHealth solutions are best suited for areas with high speed Internet, as such applications are designed based on the premise that broadband is available and accessible to the users. To address rural remote patient monitoring, the NetRecon Lab investigates hybrid architectures that leverages minimal Internet infrastructure along with node mobility for the dispersal of non-emergency PHI for RRPM real-world rural communities.

Designing Usable Symptom Monitoring Apps for Post Cancer Surgery Patients

Routing solutions do not solely address all of the issues with respect to providing access to underserved communities. There is still the issue of current distress screening measures not being designed in a patient-centric manner. For example, patients may misinterpret how to complete a distress questionnaire or symptom report. Involving patients in the design process of a distress screening intervention could allow for an increased perception of benefits by patients, since the design took patient values into consideration. My research lab designs usable mobile apps for cancer patients and physicians in the Markey Cancer Center. In particular, the NetRecon developed, Assuage, a medical research platform that hosts multiple user interfaces (UIs) for capturing quality of life survey information for patients. For example, Assuage has four UIs that serve as digital representations of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Distress Thermometer for use as a screening tool for recognizing distress in cancer patients. Assuage allows the aforementioned UIs to be assessed in medical IRB approved pilot studies and for objective and subjective (sensor data) to be delivered to physicians in a distributed HIPAA compliant fashion. Assuage enables physicians and researchers to explore what parts of user interfaces designed with Apple's ResearchKit, CareKit, and HealthKit provide suitable usability without the need of patient-centered design as well as what components have severe limitations that need to be overhauled and codesigned.

Low-Cost Smart Cities That Leverage Opportunistic Networks

The proliferation of smart cities stimulates researchers in DTN and opportunistic communication to investigate innovative solutions that will enable developing and metropolitan cities to leverage the Internet of Things (IoT) to become smart cities without the huge costs of retrofitting current infrastructure, particularly when coupled with opportunistic communication. To alleviate the costs, we propose the use of DTNs as a backbone for smart city communication. Recognizing that some data are needed in real-time, I investigate advancements in edge-computing, while optimizing the placement and use of internet-connected nodes in the network. For data that can tolerate delays, the natural movement of people and vehicles can be leveraged to transfer data between nodes. In this way, the citizens become an integral part of the smart city network itself. As part of my NSF funded project, I am collaborating with Duke Energy; Louisville, KY; Charlotte NC; and Oklahoma City, OK to commission smart cities at a fraction of the cost along with enabling developed cities to minimize cost and maximize efficiency.