A bioengineering expert at Carle Illinois College of Medicine (CI MED) is working to improve the safety, security, and resilience of health care technologies. Professor Jenny Amos has been awarded a $3.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support interdisciplinary efforts to protect users of neural implants and enhance cybersecurity in critical access hospitals.
This project brings together a diverse team of computer scientists, electrical engineers, medical doctors, neuroscientists, community groups, and manufacturers to address pressing concerns around the safety and security of neural implant devices. The project will develop “the design of verifiably resilient control systems and simulations and design upgrades that build upon models of neural sensing and stimulation and explainable AI techniques,” according to the NSF abstract.
The research will focus on developing hardware-software co-design solutions that enable the safe adoption of emerging neural technologies. By engaging directly with patients, caregivers, and medical professionals, the team aims to understand the real-world impact of these devices and deliver solutions that are both technically robust and socially responsive.
Amos will play a key role in stakeholder engagement and data collection, leveraging her 15 years of experience in medical device education and her extensive professional network.
“My goal is to ensure that the voices of patients, families, and health care providers are central to the development of these technologies,” she said.
This project represents a significant step forward in securing the future of health care technologies. Amos’s involvement ensures that community voices and user experiences remain at the forefront of innovation. The grant, titled “From Technology to Humans: Protecting Users of Neural and Medical Implant Technologies Through Resilience and Safety Engineering,” is part of the NSF’s Smart & Connected Communities program.
Northeastern University in Boston is the lead institution in the NSF project, led by principal investigator (PI) Kevin Fu. Besides Amos, other co-PIs in the NSF research are Julian Goldman, MD, of the Massachusetts General Hospital, Wayne Burleson of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Xuan Zhang of Northeastern University, and Erika Petersen, MD, of the University of Arkansas.
Editor's note: The original version of this article can be found here.