Please join the Computer Science Department for the upcoming thesis defense:

Presenter: Amirmohammad Shahbandegan

Thesis title: Using machine learning to improve patient flow in the emergency department

Abstract: This thesis aims to implement machine learning (ML) techniques in the emergency department (ED) to improve the patient flow. The research begins with a comprehensive literature analysis through bibliometric analysis on prediction models in EDs, highlighting the significant role of AI in advancing emergency medicine research. It identifies influential articles, researchers, and institutions, offering insights into the current state of AI-based prediction models in EDs. The main body of this research is focused on the global issue of ED overcrowding, examining the impact of ancillary services like diagnostic imaging on patient flow through an analysis of electronic health record (EHR) data from the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC). The study demonstrates the potential benefits of incorporating a prediction model into the ED workflow, which could reduce the length of stay (LOS) by identifying patients requiring a computed tomography (CT) scan early in their visit. Finally, this research presents a ML model designed to detect a patient’s need for a CT exam early at the time of their ED visit. The model achieved a high level of accuracy and the experimental results showed that incorporating this model into the ED operations can save up to 49 minutes in patient LOS. The proposed model successfully detects patients requiring a CT scan using administrative triage data and identifies the chief complaint, treatment area, and triage acuity as the most significant factors leading to a CT scan order. Implementation of this model in EDs aids in resource allocation and patient flow management and ultimately leads to a reduction in overcrowding in the ED.


Committee Members:
Dr. Thiago E Alves de Oliveira (supervisor, committee chair), Dr. Vijay Mago (co-supervisor, York University), Dr. David Savage (co-supervisor, NOSM University), Dr. Xing Tan, Dr. Farah Ahmad (York University)

Please contact grad.compsci@lakeheadu.ca for the Zoom link. Everyone is welcome.

Please join the Computer Science Department for the upcoming thesis defense:

Presenter: Aditya Singhal

Thesis title: Fairness, Engagement, and Discourse Analysis in AI-Driven Social Media and Healthcare

Abstract: This thesis addresses the critical concerns of fairness, accountability, transparency, and ethics (FATE) within the context of artificial intelligence (AI) systems applied to social media and healthcare domains. First, a comprehensive survey examines existing research on FATE in AI, specifically focusing on the subdomains of social media and healthcare. The survey evaluates current solutions, highlights their benefits, limitations, and potential challenges, and charts out future research directions. Key findings emphasize the significance of statistical and intersectional fairness in ensuring equitable healthcare access on social media platforms and highlight the pivotal role of transparency in AI systems to foster accountability. Building upon the survey, this thesis delves into an analysis of social media usage by healthcare organizations, with a specific emphasis on engagement and sentiment forecasting during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data collection from Twitter handles of pharmaceutical companies, public health agencies, and the World Health Organization enables extensive analysis. Natural language processing (NLP)-based topic modeling techniques are applied to identify health-related topics, while sentiment forecasting models are employed to gauge public sentiment. The results uncover the impact of COVID-19-related topics on public engagement, highlighting the varying levels of engagement across diverse healthcare organizations. Notably, the World Health Organization exhibits dynamic engagement patterns over time, necessitating adaptable strategies. The thesis further presents latest sentiment forecasting models, such as autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) and seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average with exogenous factors (SARIMAX), which enable organizations to optimize their content strategies for maximum user engagement. Furthermore, discourse analysis is conducted to unravel the factors that shape the content of tweets by healthcare organizations on Twitter. By employing topic modeling and association rule mining techniques, this study uncovers text patterns that significantly influence tweet content across various Twitter accounts. The analysis reveals that establishing a reputable presence on Twitter extends beyond mere tweet popularity, as highly supported association rules do not always translate into increased user engagement. Moreover, the study highlights variations in language use and style among different categories of Twitter accounts. Overall, this thesis makes contributions to the field of NLP for social media and healthcare interventions. By addressing the dimensions of fairness, transparency, and ethics in AI design, it offers insights and practical implications for analyzing public engagement and optimizing content strategies. The integration of AI and NLP techniques empowers healthcare organizations to enhance health literacy, ensure equitable access to healthcare information, and foster maximum public engagement, thereby advancing the field and ultimately improving healthcare outcomes.

Committee Members:
Dr. Thiago E Alves de Oliveira (supervisor, committee chair), Dr. Vijay Mago (co-supervisor), Dr. Garima Bajwa, Dr. Zahid A Butt (University of Waterloo)

Please contact grad.compsci@lakeheadu.ca for the Zoom link. Everyone is welcome.

The Lakehead University Agricultural Research Station (LUARS) is hosting tour of the property on Tuesday, August 1, 2023.

“Our tours are based on the philosophy of ‘Seeing is believing,’” Dr. Sahota said. “When farmers see some new crop varieties, products or production practices working successfully at the research station, they are encouraged to try and adopt those on their farms with resulting improvement in crop yields, quality and returns from farming,” he said.

This year, LUARS has added ~20 new crop varieties and they are testing a new nitrogen fertilizer (Puryield 45-0-0) and two new bioproducts (Holganix 800+ and Utrisha N). 

Media are invited to attend.

Contact: Dr. Tarlok Singh Sahota Director LUARS at tssahota@lakeheadu.ca or 807-707-1987.

Soorena Azarhazin will present his thesis proposal, Heat Transfer Enhancement using Flow Control in a Flexible Pipe, on Monday July 31, at 10:30 am on Zoom. All are welcome.

Contact Brenda Magajna at phd.ses@lakeheadu.ca for more information.

Join Career Services & Co-op and Lakehead International for a series of engaging and informative virtual sessions designed to help kickstart your career journey.

Register at https://mysuccess.lakeheadu.ca/events.htm?eventId=5643.

Join Career Services & Co-op and Lakehead International for a series of engaging and informative virtual sessions designed to help kickstart your career journey.

Register at https://mysuccess.lakeheadu.ca/events.htm?eventId=5641

Join Career Services & Co-op and Lakehead International for a series of engaging and informative virtual sessions designed to help kickstart your career journey.

Register at https://mysuccess.lakeheadu.ca/events.htm?eventId=5639

Join Career Services & Co-op and Lakehead International for a series of engaging and informative virtual sessions designed to help kickstart your career journey.

Register at https://mysuccess.lakeheadu.ca/events.htm?eventId=5640

Please join us for Erika Puiras's clinical practice and research exam.

Topic: Program Evaluation of the Youth Residential Treatment Program at the Sister Margaret Smith Centre
Supervisor: Dr. Rawana
Second Reader: Dr Mazmanian

Join Zoom Meeting
https://lakeheadu.zoom.us/j/91230123244?pwd=cXhoZ0RGK3RoZkc5OW5iZTdSQTJw...

Canadian Poet Terry-Lynn Johnson Meet & Greet. Waterside Author. Come out to the Nipigon Blueberry Blast Aug 19 & 20 to meet and greet lakeheadpoet from Nipigon Bay. Book signings and merchandising of Driftwood Tones Nature Poetry of Beauty & Presence. Poetry is for you.