Author: ktalbott@illinois.edu

An MS in Health Tech Class of 2023 alumni, Ben Hardin, is featured in this highlight of The Shop in the Siebel Center for Design!

Making Illinois: Neil Pearse, Shop Manager

This year’s recipient of the Michael Vitoux Health Technology Scholarship is Dr. Laelaf Hailu. Throughout Hailu’s academic career at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, he has displayed intuitive thinking and great interest in the field of health technology. 

“There are not many programs designed to allow students from various backgrounds to come together and learn,” Hailu said. “The MS in Health Technology program at UIUC is unique in that the College of Applied Health Sciences works in collaboration with the Grainger College of Engineering to provide a unique opportunity to pursue my goals.” 

Hailu chose this particular program because he has always been passionate about technology and the power it has to change people’s lives. After receiving his medical degree from the University of Gondar in Ethiopia, he knew he wanted to develop his technical skills and enter a master’s program that would lay the foundation for a career in digital health.  

“The scholarship means so many things to me. As an international student, funding is one of the main criteria when trying to select programs to apply for.” Hailu shared his gratefulness to the department for awarding him this scholarship. 

After graduation, Hailu plans “to work in helping patients utilize the power of technology.” The implications for technology’s use in medicine and healthcare are an emerging field with endless possibilities, Hailu wants, “to do my part and contribute to improving people’s lives.” 

In April 2024, Lalef Hailu was able to meet with Michael Vitoux, scholarship donor, Wendy Rogers, Health Technology Education Program Director, Katelyn Talbott, Health Technology Education Program Assistant Director, and Jean Driscoll, Assistant Dean for Advancement for a celebratory lunch. During the lunch, all had the exciting opportunity to view the near totality of the solar eclipse! 

Health Technology is excited to announce our Spring Speaker Series presenter, Dr. Chris Wickens. Wickens earned a B.A. from Harvard College in Physical Sciences in 1967. He received an M.A. from the University of Michigan in Psychology in 1969. He completed his Ph.D. under Dick Pew at Ann Arbor in 1974. Wickens advanced from Assistant Professor to Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was Visiting Professor, Department of Behavioral Sciences & Leadership, U. S. Air Force Academy in 1983-1984, 1991-1992, and 1999-2000. His research on human factors has been internationally recognized.

Health Technology Spring Speaker Series: Dr. Chris Wickens
Tuesday, April 16 @ 4:00pm
Beckman Tower Room 2269 or Zoom

Title: An Influence Model of Human-Automation Team Interaction

Abstract: I present a model of the influence of three features of automation, its reliability, its level of transparency and its degree of authority, on two major measures of performance of the human-automation team: Performance of the routine task for which the automation was designed, and performance of the team when automation unexpectedly fails. The computed influences are mediated by human cognitive variables of trust, dependence, situation awareness and workload. The “weights” of these influences are derived from meta-analyses of human-automation interaction studies, and can be used to predict tradeoffs in design. Three such tradeoffs are presented.

A reception will follow the presentation in Beckman Tower Room 2269.

The James K. and Karen S. McKechnie Fellowship in Applied Health Sciences is a prestigious award that provides a $10,000 annual fellowship to support recipients.

The current recipient of the fellowship, Michael Varzino, believes this about the fellowship. “The McKechnie Fellowship means so much to me. This support during my pursuit of my Masters in Health Technology has freed me to work a job that excites me, think innovatively, and focus deeply on my education. Most importantly, this opportunity has enabled me to connect with like-minded individuals, and for that I am truly grateful.”

Michael had the unique opportunity to spend an evening with Dr. and Mrs. McKecknie over dinner where they, along with the program’s Director, Dr. Wendy A. Rogers, recognized his unique talents and admirable work.

Assistant Director of the Health Technology Education Program, Dr. Katelyn Talbott, had this to say about Michael. “Michael is a great asset to the Health Technology program. He has demonstrated a deep interest in health technology and is eager to learn all he can as he prepares to enter the health tech field! He recognizes the impact that health technology advances are capable of for every individual!”

On Oct. 3, 2019, the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health hosted the Inaugural Advisory Board Meeting and Launch Luncheon for the MS in Health Technology. Approximately 60 guests joined the Advisory Board to hear from Dean Cheryl Hanley-Maxwell and Professor Wendy A. Rogers about this exciting new program, scheduled to host its first students in Fall 2020. The Advisory Board introduced themselves briefly to the crowd before heading to a closed door meeting where they discussed the program in-depth and made recommendations for further programmatic development.

The 2019-2021 Advisory Board includes:
• Tony Andre, Owner and Founding Principal, Interface Analysis Associates
• Sarah Stewart De Ramirez, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of ClinicalInnovations, OSF HealthCare
• James Duhig, Director Patient Integration, Abbvie International Pharmacovigilance Network
• Jennifer Eardley, Vice President for Research, Carle Hospital
• Jose Hernandez, Vice President, IT, AARP
• Jason Hirsbrunner, Chief Operating Officer, Christie Clinic
• Christopher Khoury, Vice President, Environmental Intelligence and Strategic Analytics, AMA
• Raj Ratwani, Director, MedStar Health National Center for Human Factors in Healthcare
• Deb Reardanz, President and Chief Executive Officer, Clark-Lindsey
• Richard Sit, R & D manager, Human Factors Engineering, Smiths Medical
• Beth Snell, Technology Director, State Farm

For more information about the board and their bio sketches, please visit the Advisory Board
page here.

MSHT Advisory Board | College of Applied Health Sciences (illinois.edu)