UH medical student earns top national prize making research 'come alive' through augmented reality

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Tina Shelton, (808) 554-2586
Director of Communications, Office of Dean of Medicine
Posted: Nov 14, 2017

A  heart appears to float above a table in the lobby at JABSOM, through augmented reality.
A heart appears to float above a table in the lobby at JABSOM, through augmented reality.
Trudy Hong, MD, with mentor Dr. Scott Lozanoff in the JABSOM Anatomy Lab.
Trudy Hong, MD, with mentor Dr. Scott Lozanoff in the JABSOM Anatomy Lab.

A University of Hawaiʻi medical student created a 3D image of a heart that literally jumped off the surface of her research poster, winning her a top award at the 2017 national meeting of the American College of Physicians (ACP) in San Diego, California.

Dr. Trudy Hong, a 2017 graduate of the John A. Burns School of Medicine and currently a pediatrics MD resident training at UH, was one of only five overall winners in the ACP National Abstract Research Poster Competition. More than 140 medical student finalists competed.

“I was pretty shocked when they called my name,” said Hong.

Hong used “augmented reality” technology in her presentation, producing a detailed image that — when viewed with a cell phone app — “came alive” to illustrate a case of a rare vascular (heart) anomoly. Aberrant right subclavian artery is present in rare cases at birth, but it usually does not produce any symptoms.

“Using my iPhone, I scanned the image during my presentation to trigger the appearance of this 3D model, which I used to describe this common anatomical variant we found in the lab. It's very much like Pokémon Go,” said Hong.

Pokémon Go was a worldwide phenomenon in 2016, as players of the game could interact and catch the characters in various locations.

“Using augmented reality throughout the presentation was very effective and the physicians and medical students from the other schools loved our project and its applications as much as we do. The judges were so blown away they asked me to present again so they could record it on their phones,” said Hong.

What is augmented reality?

Augmented reality is a form of technology that can project components of the digital world into a person’s real world.

Most of the Hawaiʻi medical students shown the 3D display found it easier to comprehend the subject matter than through customary learning tools in their studies.

“Clinically the literature is often referred to for further reference, but (most of the literature) lacks 3D representation and thus it is difficult to visualize and increases risk for errors in interpretation. In our project, we used 3D models — images digitized from actual organs — and then applied various augmented reality tools in hopes to preserve, teach and learn the subject more quickly and effectively,” she said.

The presentation in front of her medical student peers helped Hong validate the research involved. “It helps to see that they like what we are showing them,” she said.

Watch the video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPuK4eq9Ph0&feature=youtu.be

For more information, visit: http://jabsom.hawaii.edu/