The Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF), as a part of its partnership in diabetes research with Deakin University, Australia, will look at new frontiers including machine learning, analysis of big data and exploring the digital space for patient-specific outcomes.
At an event to mark 10 years of a partnership with Deakin University on Thursday, V. Mohan, chairman and chief diabetologist, Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre and MDRF, said one of the strengths of the university was in machine learning and analysis of big data. “Our patient data is humongous and we will need help in analysis. Deakin University has this strength that we want to build on. This will help improve the way we treat diabetes,” he told reporters.
R.M. Anjana, president of MDRF, said that they were exploring the digital space for patient-specific outcomes. “We created an app to take education on diabetes, food and sleep to the young, through gaming. We have a chatbot for older persons. In the next phase, we want to develop apps and refine them so that patients have the knowledge and improve outcomes.” she said.
She earlier said the collaboration has various arms: research that looks at digital health and physical activity, and education, with many more collaborations coming up. “In the future, we are looking at strengthening research and education, holding workshops, seminars and short-term research programmes, job-oriented skill development courses useful for the two countries, artificial intelligence and machine learning,” she said.
Over the past 10 years, the two centres have launched initiatives such as PhD programmes in various aspects of diabetes, and a Diabetes Nurse Educators Certificate course through which 75 nurses were trained. The university also launched a 100% scholarship for PhD students through its In-Country PhD Programme. A total of seven PhD students have benefited to date and 15 research papers have been published so far, according to a press release.
David Austin, associate dean (international), faculty of health, Deakin University said, said the students were doing innovative work, setting up research programmes for the years to come, and have shed light on previously unexplored areas in diabetes.
Kathryn Aston Mourney, associate professor in human biology, school of health, faculty of health, Deakin University and Gayathri Vedanarayan, senior manager, projects (south Asia), Deakin University also spoke.
