eHealth Research Programs

A prototype pop-up eye clinic built out of a shipping container is constructed in Jamaica.
A prototype pop-up eye clinic built out of a shipping container is constructed in Jamaica.

Our eHealth Research team develops, evaluates, and implements innovative technologies and methods to improve how we treat eye diseases to promote patient-centered care.

Kellogg Eye Center for eHealth

  • Clinical Trials in eHealth
    • Collaboration opportunities for multi-center trials in eHealth
    • Analysis / Research expertise
      • Statistical and methodology support
      • Grading images for telemedicine trials
  • eHealth technology platforms: hardware and software
    • SBIR and STTR collaborations
    • Consultation by ophthalmology MDs for device or product development
    • Clinical telemedicine project study design
      • Methodology and Statistical support
      • IRB protocol and informed consent documents for similar work
      • Implementation design
  • Image Library: Access to a de-identified image library to the following conditions which have been independently graded and cross-validated by specialist clinical examination:
    • Diabetic retinopathy
    • Corneal disease
    • Optic nerve edema
  • We are part of the Institute for Health Policy and Innovation (IHPI), one of the largest academic health services research groups in the country, and Fast Forward Medical Innovation.
  • We have access to experts across medical fields as well as public health, business, engineering, pharmacy, biostatistics, health policy, psychology and social sciences. Additionally, we partner with the Kellogg Center for Eye Policy and Innovation to evaluate the impact of novel eHealth paradigms on resource utilization and healthcare outcomes.

Our Team

Our ophthalmology eHealth team is composed of leaders in health services research and ophthalmology:

School of Public Health

University of Michigan Collaborators

  • David Burke, PhD, Human Genetics
  • Michele Carney, MD, Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  • Hao Chen, PhD, Biomedical Engineering
  • Michele Heisler, MD, Internal Medicine
  • Steven Kronick, MD, Emergency Medicine
  • Kayvan Najarian, PhD, Emergency Medicine, Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics
  • Casey Pierce, PhD, School of Information
  • Volker Sick, PhD, Engineering
  • S.M.Reza Soroushmehr, PhD, Emergency Medicine

Ophthalmic Photographer and Project Manager

  • Elaine Lok, CRA

Study Coordinators

  • Sonal Trivedi, MS, CCRP
  • Karen King, CCRC

Student Team Members

  • Public Health, University of Michigan Medical School, Bioinformatics undergraduates

Grants and Publications

Grants

  • NIH K23 EY023596-01
    Telemedicine for Anterior Eye Disease
    PI: Maria Woodward, MD
  • Fostering Innovation Grants
    MISight Portable Eye Camera
    PI: Maria Woodward, MD, and Sejal Amin, MD
    Co-investigators: Paula Anne Newman-Casey, MD, MS, and Roland Chen, Ph.D.
  • University of Michigan Third Century Initiative: Global Challenges Grant
    Deep-monitoring chronic disease in underserved and remote populations
    PI: David T. Burke, PhD
    Co-Investigators: Maria Woodward, MD, Paula Anne Newman-Casey, MD, MS
    Project: Focus on deep monitoring chronic disease status in elderly, underserved, and remote populations by designing and building a high-resolution, low cost, 3D-imaging system optimized to survey the human eye in wide range of clinical environments.
  • University of Michigan MCubed Grant
    MCubed stimulates innovative research and scholarship by distributing real-time seed funding to multi-unit, faculty-led teams.
    3D Plenoptic Imaging in Medical Diagnostics
    Co-PI: Maria Woodward, MD, David T. Burke, PhD, Volker Sick, PhD
    Project: Explore the use of a plenoptic camera to develop fast screening techniques for anomalies in human eyes to assist medical diagnosis for a range of potential health problems.
  • U-M Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization of Life Sciences Program (MTRAC)
    Smartphone-based Retinal Imaging for Screening of Eye Disease
    PI: Tyson Kim, MD, PhD
    Co-Mentors: Maria Woodward, MD, and Yannis Paulus, MD
    Project: Development of non-dilated imaging of the retina using a smartphone
  • University of Michigan CoE Entrepreneurship Engineering Prototyping Award
    Smartphone-based Retinal Imaging for Screening of Eye Disease
    PI: Tyson Kim, MD
    Co-Mentors: Yannis Paulus, MD, and Xueding Wang, PhD
    Project: Development of non-dilated imaging of the retina using a smartphone
  • Alliance for Vision Research (04/2016-03/2017)
    Development of Clinical Tools for Telemedicine in Ophthalmology
    Project: Validation of corneal imaging tools for quantify anterior segment disease
    PI: Maria Woodward, MD
    Project: Validation of corneal imaging tools for quantifying anterior segment disease
  • ARVO Collaborative Research Fellowship
    Efficacy of Wide-field Retinal Imaging (WFRI) in the diagnosis of Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) on a mobile imaging platformPI: Cagri G Besirli, MD, PhD
    Co-PI: Tapas R Padhi, MD
    Project: Vailidation of mobile technology to screen and diagnose ROP
  • Research to Prevent Blindness Career Development Award
    Integrative Design and Operations Engineering to Optimize a Personalized Behavior Change Program for Non-Adherent Glaucoma Patients
    PI: Paula Anne Newman-Casey, MD, MS
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation Grant
    Creating and Evaluation a Counseling Training Program for Glaucoma Staff
    PI: Paula Anne Newman-Casey, MD, MS
  • National Eye Institute K23 Mentored Clinician-Scientist Award
    Improving Glaucoma Self-management with Technology-supported Counselors
    PI: Paula Anne Newman-Casey, MD, MS
  • American Glaucoma Society Young Clinician Scientist Grant
    A Counseling Training Program for Glaucoma Staff: Development and Preliminary Assessment
    PI: Paula Anne Newman-Casey, MD, MS
  • University of Michigan MCubed Grant
    MCubed stimulates innovative research and scholarship by distributing real-time seed funding to multi-unit, faculty-led teams
    PI: Paula Anne Newman-Casey, MD, MS
    Project: Beauty and organization: Insights from integrative design and operations engineering to improve a tool that supports glaucoma patient self-management with individually tailored counseling

Related Publications

  1. Lee PP. Telemedicine: opportunities and challenges for the remote care of diabetes (ed). Arch Ophthalmol. 1999;117 (12):1639-1640.
  2. Lobach DF, Waters A, Keatts S, Kimrey K, Caldwell JV, Rafferty W, Asrani A, Lee PP. Integrating direct electronic collection of data from patients into the process of care for eye care professionals. AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2010 Nov 13;2010:457-461.
  3. Lee P, Dzau J. Emergency department use for eye care services and future directions in care. Arch of Ophthalmol. 2012 Jan;130(1):106-107. PMID: 22232478
  4. Mets MB, Rich WL, Lee P, Schuman JS, Wilson D, Chew E, Buckley E. The ophthalmic practice of the future. Arch Ophthalmol 2012 Sep 130(9):1195-8. [PMCID exempt]
  5. Elam AR, Lee PP. High-risk populations for vision loss and eye care underutilization: A Review of the literature and ideas on moving forward. Surv Ophthalmol. 2013 Jul-Aug;58(4):348-58. [PMCID exempt]
  6. Shtein RM, Lee PP. Qualitative analysis of web-based refractive surgery information sessions. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2014 Jan;40(1):159-61. [PMCID: exempt]
  7. Elam AR, Lee PP. Barriers to and suggestions on improving utilization of eye care in high-risk individuals: Focus group results. International Scholarly Research Notices. 2014 Oct; Article ID 527831. doi:10.1155/2014/527831
  8. Woodward MA, Ple-Plakon P, Blachley T, Musch DC, Newman-Casey PA, De Lott LB, Lee PP. Eye care providers’ attitudes towards tele-ophthalmology. Telemed J E Health. 2015:21(4):271-3. PMID 25635290.
  9. Abbey AM, Besirli CG, Musch DC, Andrews CA, Capone A, Jr., Drenser KA, Wallace DK, Ostmo S, Chiang M, Lee PP, Trese MT. Evaluation of screening for retinopathy of prematurity by ROPtool or a lay reader. Ophthalmology. Dec 8 2015 [Epub ahead of print].
  10. Bashshur RL, Shannon GW, Smith BR, Woodward MA. The empirical evidence for the telemedicine intervention in diabetes management. Telemedicine and e-Heath. 2015;21:321-354.
  11. Tozer K, Woodward MA, Newman-Casey PA. Telemedicine and diabetic retinopathy: Review of published screening programs. Journal of Endocrinology and Diabetes. 2015;2(4).
  12. Woodward MA, Bavinger JC, Amin S, Blachley TS, Musch DC, Lee PP, Newman-Casey PA. Telemedicine for ophthalmic consultation services: use of a portable device and layering information for graders. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare. 2016. In press.
  13. Valikodath NG, Leveque TK, Wang SY, Lee PP, Newman-Casey PA, Hansen SO, Woodward MA. Patient attitudes toward telemedicine for diabetic retinopathy. Telemed J E Health. Jun 23 2016 [Epub ahead of print]
  14. Newman-Casey PAShtein RM, Coleman AL, Herndon L, Lee PP. Why patients with glaucoma lose vision: The patient perspective.J Glaucoma. 2016; 25(7):e668-75.
  15. Shtein RM, Newman-Casey PA, Herndon L, Coleman AL, Lee PP. Assessing the role of the family/support system perspective in patients with glaucoma. J Glaucoma. 2016; 25(7):e676-80.
  16. Killeen OJ, MacKenzie C, Heisler M, Resnicow K, Lee PP, Newman-Casey PA. User-centered design of the eyeGuide: A tailored glaucoma behavior change program. J Glaucoma. 2016 Apr 19. [Epub ahead of print]