Interdisciplinary

Dr. Saxon has created a multidisciplinary team of researchers within USC, including medical students, residents and fellows from the Keck schools as well as the Viterbi School of Engineering. The research and publications generated by this group is impressive, particularly given the fact that the effort is only three years old.

Part of the Body Computing Conference is a “Slam,” in which students and outside companies are invited to discuss their work; they are then judged, American Idol style, by a blue ribbon group of business executives and faculty members. Last year a group from the Viterbi School of Engineering won the contest. At the most recent “Slam” two USC faculty members—one from the Keck School of Medicine and another with Viterbi—tied for the first place prize. Dr. Saxon has also worked closely with USC engineers on developing body computing products, and helped connect USC engineering faculty and grad students with engineers at medical device companies. Given the complexity of connected medicine and the need for digital healthcare solutions that need the input of designers, story-tellers, physicians, and engineers, it is important that there is a center that encourages percolation and cooperation from different disciplines. Many thought leaders see USC as the perfect place for the interdisciplinary nature of body computing medicine. CEO of Proteus Biomedical Andy Thompson notes that “our healthcare system needs innovation more than ever.  USC is making a vital contribution to figuring out how we can meet the challenges of the 21st century by blending clinical and computing science.”

The Center for Body Computing could further foster interdisciplinary cooperation by breaking down “the silos” between different areas of expertise. 

Apps

Body computing is not simply an esoteric theory on the USC campus. The body computing team has showed pragmatism and expert execution in working across departments to create health-changing applications.

There have been two notable apps co-developed through Dr. Saxon at the Keck School of Medicine, USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering, and partner companies.

Beating Heart

Beating Heart, co-developed with Corventis Biomedical, is an iPhone application that draws data wirelessly from a patch placed on the chest. You can then take your heart rate and tag it to your status update on a social network. The app also has a personality quiz and a truth-or-dare game that includes heart rate, and is meant—through social networking—to make young people more heart aware—a mood ring for the iPhone generation.

• Prototype demo’d at Body Computing 3.0.
• The app has been written about in Forbes and Fast Company.
• Named one of the top ten iPhone apps by Gizmodo, a popular technology site.

Latitude Connect

iPhone app, co-developed with Boston Scientific, enabling physicians to share patient physiological data with other physicians and to communicate information to their patients such as the battery level on their pacemaker.

• Prototype demo’d at Body Computing 3.0
• The app has been written about in Forbes, Fast Company, and MobiHealthNews.
  Another app, aimed at adverse health issues in underserved communities, is in development.

Marshall Stanton, Vice President of Research at Boston Scientific says, "Leslie Saxon's vision, communicated through Body Computing, crystallizes the needs of patients for high quality, convenient healthcare that is attainable through today's technologies."