The Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) is pleased to announce that the Learning Health System (LHS) Demonstration Project grant was awarded to two recipients, Catherine Allen, MD and Hamid Emamekhoo, MD. Projects supported in this project cycle will run from October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026.
ICTR’s LHS program aims to make health care work more efficiently to improve patient outcomes, support health care providers, and shorten the gap between research and clinical practice.
To make this goal possible, UW Health and ICTR work collaboratively by providing funding for LHS Demonstration Projects conducted by physician scientists within the UW Health hospital and clinics. Further details about the two awardees and their research projects can be found below.
Catherine Allen, MD
Department of Pediatrics
“Implementation of an Accessible Healthcare Model (ACHD STRONG): Comparing Nurse and Physician Lead Healthcare Transition Education in a RE-AIM Framework”
This study aims to improve health care for young people with congenital heart disease as they move from pediatric to adult care. The project is testing a new model that was co-designed with patients, families, and clinicians. It includes digital tools like readiness assessments, insurance education, and personalized care plans to reduce the number of patients lost to follow-up between the ages of 12-26.
Hamid Emamekhoo, MD
Department of Medicine
“Implementing AI-Generated Patient-Friendly Imaging Report Summaries to Enhance Oncology Care Delivery”
This project will use AI to create easy to understand summaries of imaging reports for cancer patients. These reports can often be confusing and cause anxiety. By using GPT-4 to generate clear, personalized summaries, the project aims to help patients better understand their care, reduce provider workload, and improve communication.
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The projects described are supported by the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program, through the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), grant UL1TR002373 and by UW Health.