Assistant Professors Pham Huy Hieu and Thai Mai Thanh from the College of Engineering & Computer Science and the VinUni-Illinois Smart Health Center at VinUniversity have received three external research fundings to develop new smart health solutions and initiate a long-term and sustainable collaboration between KU Leuven and VinUniversiy as well as between Cardiff University and VinUniversiy.

Project 1: “Vheart FM: Vietnam-validated Heart Foundation Model”

PIs: Maarten De Vos (KU Leuven), Christos Chatzichristos (KU Leuven), Phu Nguyen (KU Leuven), Hieu Pham (VinUni)

Project overview and objectives: Tracking biosignals is crucial for monitoring wellness and preempting the development of severe medical conditions. The research team aims to initiate a long-term and sustainable collaboration between KU Leuven and VinUniversiy through the VinUni-Illinois Smart Health Centre (VISHC), focusing on developing an automated electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation approach valid across patient populations, and acquisition devices. A full-scholarship of 133,000 USD has been awarded to one PhD student from Vietnam to support his PhD study in 4 years.

Figure 1. A typical AI-based system for ECG paper-based analysis

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Project 2: Wales-Vietnam Partnerships Project

PIs: Dr. Nhat Pham (Cardiff University), Dr. Hieu Pham (CECS-VISHC, VinUniversity), Dr. Thai Mai Thanh (CECS, VinUniversity).
Project overview and objectives: The project aims to initiate a long-term and sustainable collaboration between Cardiff University, VinUniversity and VinUni-Illinois Smart Health Centre, with a focus on joint research and training in Artificial Intelligence for Smart Healthcare Applications. An amount of $6,300 will be used to support traveling and organizing conferences at VinUni. The team also looks for VinUni undergrad students to join the project, in which we aim to:

1. A joint research proposal among Cardiff University, VinUniversity, and Vin-Illinois Smart Health Centre to either MRC Applied Global Health Research or Applied Global Health Partnership on developing AI solutions for healthcare.
2. The AI challenge will help us to engage with both undergrad and postgrad students from VinUniversity to demonstrate both teaching and research activities at Cardiff University.
3. Potential poster publications at mainstream conferences, which serves as a base for further research development and publications.
4. A three-way partnership link among Cardiff University, VinUniversity, and University of Illinois, serving as a foundation for further collaborations in joint research proposals, training, and teaching activities.

Project 3: Taith funding (Welsh Government Funding)

PIs: Dr. Nhat Pham (Cardiff University), Dr. Hieu Pham (CECS-VISHC, VinUniversity), Dr. Thai Mai Thanh (CECS, VinUniversity).

Project overview and objectives: This project aims to advance collaborative research in biomedical sensing for smart healthcare between Cardiff University and VinUniversity. To achieve this, a research mobility visit to Cardiff University is being organized in collaboration with Dr. Nhat (Nick) Pham. The visit promises a rich array of activities over two weeks, including networking events, hands-on laboratory work, meticulous project planning sessions, and a thorough evaluation of funding opportunities. These endeavors are poised to foster deeper connections and pave the way for innovative advancements in the realm of healthcare technology. The team received an amount of $3,150 in funding to support these research activities.

Congratulations Assistant Professors Pham Huy Hieu and Thai Mai Thanh for their achievements!