Research

Current research projects and initiatives in digital health, AI in healthcare, and global health policy

Current Research Projects

Digital Health Economics and Policy Lab (DHEP Lab)

AI-Powered Healthcare Delivery

Role: Co-Principal Investigator Funding: NIH, NSF Timeline: 2023-2027

Developing and evaluating artificial intelligence applications for improving healthcare delivery in both high-resource and low-resource settings. This multi-year initiative focuses on diagnostic accuracy, treatment recommendations, and health outcomes prediction using machine learning approaches.

Key Objectives: - Develop AI models for early disease detection - Evaluate cost-effectiveness of AI interventions - Assess equity implications of AI implementation - Create policy recommendations for AI adoption

Learn More →

Telemedicine Quality and Access Analysis

Role: Principal Investigator Funding: AHRQ Timeline: 2022-2025

Comprehensive analysis of telemedicine quality, access patterns, and health system impacts across different populations and geographic regions. This research examines the long-term effects of telehealth expansion during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key Components: - Claims data analysis of telehealth utilization - Quality metrics comparison: virtual vs. in-person care - Geographic and demographic disparities assessment - Policy recommendations for sustainable telehealth

Recent Publications: - Health Affairs (2024): “Post-Pandemic Telehealth Utilization Patterns” - Medical Care (2023): “Quality Metrics in Telemedicine”

Antimicrobial Resistance Research

Behavioral Economics Interventions for Antibiotic Stewardship

Role: Co-Principal Investigator Funding: CDC, IDSA Foundation Timeline: 2023-2026

Implementation and evaluation of behavioral economics-informed interventions to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing in primary care settings. This randomized controlled trial tests multiple intervention strategies across diverse healthcare systems.

Intervention Strategies: - Default order sets with narrow-spectrum antibiotics - Peer comparison feedback to providers - Patient education materials on antibiotic resistance - Clinical decision support tools

Primary Outcomes: - Reduction in inappropriate antibiotic prescribing - Changes in antibiotic resistance patterns - Cost-effectiveness of interventions - Provider and patient satisfaction

Global Health Initiatives

Early Childhood Development in LMICs

Role: Principal Investigator Funding: Gates Foundation, USAID Timeline: 2021-2025

Multi-country randomized controlled trial evaluating scalable early childhood development interventions in low- and middle-income countries. Focus on cognitive development, health outcomes, and long-term economic impacts.

Study Locations: - Ghana: Rural community-based interventions - India: Urban slum settings - Peru: Indigenous communities

Intervention Components: - Parenting education programs - Nutritional supplementation - Cognitive stimulation activities - Community health worker training

Innovative Methods: - Mobile health technology integration - AI-powered developmental assessments - Blockchain-based data collection - Machine learning outcome prediction

CollectiveGood Initiatives

Technology for Global Health Equity

Role: Co-Founder & CEO

As Co-Founder and CEO of CollectiveGood, I lead the development of technology solutions that advance global health equity. Our social enterprise focuses on creating scalable, evidence-based interventions for underserved populations.

Current Projects:

Digital Health Platform for Rural Communities

AI-powered diagnostic support for community health workers
Telemedicine connectivity for remote areas
Mobile health record systems
Supply chain optimization tools

Maternal and Child Health Innovations

Predictive models for pregnancy complications
Mobile apps for prenatal care management
Community-based intervention protocols
Health worker training platforms

Data Analytics for Health Systems Strengthening

Health facility performance dashboards
Population health monitoring systems
Resource allocation optimization
Impact measurement frameworks

Visit CollectiveGood →

Research Methods and Expertise

Methodological Specializations

📊 Causal Inference

Randomized controlled trials
Quasi-experimental designs
Instrumental variables
Difference-in-differences
Regression discontinuity

🤖 Machine Learning

Predictive modeling
Natural language processing
Computer vision applications
Deep learning for health
Bias detection and mitigation

💰 Health Economics

Cost-effectiveness analysis
Budget impact modeling
Health technology assessment
Value-based care evaluation
Economic burden studies

Data Sources and Partnerships

Healthcare Data: - Electronic health records from major health systems - Medicare/Medicaid claims databases - Clinical trial data repositories - Mobile health platform data

International Collaborations: - WHO Global Health Observatory - World Bank health databases - Country-specific health information systems - Academic partnerships across 15+ countries

Technology Partnerships: - Epic Systems (EHR integration) - Google Health (AI/ML tools) - Microsoft Healthcare Bot - Amazon Web Services (cloud infrastructure)

Research Impact and Translation

Policy Influence

Policy Contributions: - Testified before Congressional subcommittees on telehealth policy - Advisor to WHO on digital health guidelines - Member of NIH study sections on health services research - Consultant to CMS on value-based care initiatives

Media Coverage: - Featured in New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal - Regular contributor to health policy blogs and podcasts - Expert commentary on CNN, NPR, and BBC

Awards and Recognition

Recent Honors: - 2024: NIH Early Career Investigator Award - 2023: AHRQ Outstanding Research Achievement - 2023: Digital Health Innovation Award, HIMSS - 2022: Rising Star in Health Services Research, AcademyHealth - 2022: Young Investigator Award, International Health Economics Association

Collaborations and Networks

Academic Partnerships

UNC Gillings School: Department of Health Policy and Management
Harvard T.H. Chan School: Collaborations on global health economics
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School: Digital health policy research
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine: Global health initiatives
Indian Institute of Public Health: Early childhood development studies

Industry Collaborations

Healthcare Systems: Kaiser Permanente, Geisinger, Intermountain
Technology Companies: Google Health, Microsoft Healthcare, IBM Watson
Pharmaceutical: Pfizer Global Health, Novartis Access, GSK Global Health
Foundations: Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

For detailed information about specific projects, collaborations, or research opportunities, please contact me.

--- title: "Research" description: "Current research projects and initiatives in digital health, AI in healthcare, and global health policy" --- ## Current Research Projects ### Digital Health Economics and Policy Lab (DHEP Lab) ::: {.content-card} #### [AI-Powered Healthcare Delivery](https://dhep.org/) **Role:** Co-Principal Investigator **Funding:** NIH, NSF **Timeline:** 2023-2027 Developing and evaluating artificial intelligence applications for improving healthcare delivery in both high-resource and low-resource settings. This multi-year initiative focuses on diagnostic accuracy, treatment recommendations, and health outcomes prediction using machine learning approaches. **Key Objectives:** - Develop AI models for early disease detection - Evaluate cost-effectiveness of AI interventions - Assess equity implications of AI implementation - Create policy recommendations for AI adoption [Learn More →](https://dhep.org/){.btn .btn-primary} ::: ::: {.content-card} #### Telemedicine Quality and Access Analysis **Role:** Principal Investigator **Funding:** AHRQ **Timeline:** 2022-2025 Comprehensive analysis of telemedicine quality, access patterns, and health system impacts across different populations and geographic regions. This research examines the long-term effects of telehealth expansion during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. **Key Components:** - Claims data analysis of telehealth utilization - Quality metrics comparison: virtual vs. in-person care - Geographic and demographic disparities assessment - Policy recommendations for sustainable telehealth **Recent Publications:** - *Health Affairs* (2024): "Post-Pandemic Telehealth Utilization Patterns" - *Medical Care* (2023): "Quality Metrics in Telemedicine" ::: ### Antimicrobial Resistance Research ::: {.content-card} #### Behavioral Economics Interventions for Antibiotic Stewardship **Role:** Co-Principal Investigator **Funding:** CDC, IDSA Foundation **Timeline:** 2023-2026 Implementation and evaluation of behavioral economics-informed interventions to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing in primary care settings. This randomized controlled trial tests multiple intervention strategies across diverse healthcare systems. **Intervention Strategies:** - Default order sets with narrow-spectrum antibiotics - Peer comparison feedback to providers - Patient education materials on antibiotic resistance - Clinical decision support tools **Primary Outcomes:** - Reduction in inappropriate antibiotic prescribing - Changes in antibiotic resistance patterns - Cost-effectiveness of interventions - Provider and patient satisfaction ::: ### Global Health Initiatives ::: {.content-card} #### Early Childhood Development in LMICs **Role:** Principal Investigator **Funding:** Gates Foundation, USAID **Timeline:** 2021-2025 Multi-country randomized controlled trial evaluating scalable early childhood development interventions in low- and middle-income countries. Focus on cognitive development, health outcomes, and long-term economic impacts. **Study Locations:** - Ghana: Rural community-based interventions - India: Urban slum settings - Peru: Indigenous communities **Intervention Components:** - Parenting education programs - Nutritional supplementation - Cognitive stimulation activities - Community health worker training **Innovative Methods:** - Mobile health technology integration - AI-powered developmental assessments - Blockchain-based data collection - Machine learning outcome prediction ::: ## CollectiveGood Initiatives ::: {.content-card} ### [Technology for Global Health Equity](https://www.collectivegood.io/) **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO As Co-Founder and CEO of CollectiveGood, I lead the development of technology solutions that advance global health equity. Our social enterprise focuses on creating scalable, evidence-based interventions for underserved populations. **Current Projects:** #### Digital Health Platform for Rural Communities - AI-powered diagnostic support for community health workers - Telemedicine connectivity for remote areas - Mobile health record systems - Supply chain optimization tools #### Maternal and Child Health Innovations - Predictive models for pregnancy complications - Mobile apps for prenatal care management - Community-based intervention protocols - Health worker training platforms #### Data Analytics for Health Systems Strengthening - Health facility performance dashboards - Population health monitoring systems - Resource allocation optimization - Impact measurement frameworks [Visit CollectiveGood →](https://www.collectivegood.io/){.btn .btn-primary} ::: ## Research Methods and Expertise ### Methodological Specializations ::: {.row} ::: {.col-md-4} ::: {.content-card} #### 📊 Causal Inference - Randomized controlled trials - Quasi-experimental designs - Instrumental variables - Difference-in-differences - Regression discontinuity ::: ::: ::: {.col-md-4} ::: {.content-card} #### 🤖 Machine Learning - Predictive modeling - Natural language processing - Computer vision applications - Deep learning for health - Bias detection and mitigation ::: ::: ::: {.col-md-4} ::: {.content-card} #### 💰 Health Economics - Cost-effectiveness analysis - Budget impact modeling - Health technology assessment - Value-based care evaluation - Economic burden studies ::: ::: ::: ### Data Sources and Partnerships ::: {.content-card} **Healthcare Data:** - Electronic health records from major health systems - Medicare/Medicaid claims databases - Clinical trial data repositories - Mobile health platform data **International Collaborations:** - WHO Global Health Observatory - World Bank health databases - Country-specific health information systems - Academic partnerships across 15+ countries **Technology Partnerships:** - Epic Systems (EHR integration) - Google Health (AI/ML tools) - Microsoft Healthcare Bot - Amazon Web Services (cloud infrastructure) ::: ## Research Impact and Translation ### Policy Influence ::: {.content-card} **Policy Contributions:** - Testified before Congressional subcommittees on telehealth policy - Advisor to WHO on digital health guidelines - Member of NIH study sections on health services research - Consultant to CMS on value-based care initiatives **Media Coverage:** - Featured in *New York Times*, *Washington Post*, *Wall Street Journal* - Regular contributor to health policy blogs and podcasts - Expert commentary on CNN, NPR, and BBC ::: ### Awards and Recognition ::: {.content-card} **Recent Honors:** - 2024: NIH Early Career Investigator Award - 2023: AHRQ Outstanding Research Achievement - 2023: Digital Health Innovation Award, HIMSS - 2022: Rising Star in Health Services Research, AcademyHealth - 2022: Young Investigator Award, International Health Economics Association ::: ## Collaborations and Networks ### Academic Partnerships - **UNC Gillings School:** Department of Health Policy and Management - **Harvard T.H. Chan School:** Collaborations on global health economics - **Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School:** Digital health policy research - **London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine:** Global health initiatives - **Indian Institute of Public Health:** Early childhood development studies ### Industry Collaborations - **Healthcare Systems:** Kaiser Permanente, Geisinger, Intermountain - **Technology Companies:** Google Health, Microsoft Healthcare, IBM Watson - **Pharmaceutical:** Pfizer Global Health, Novartis Access, GSK Global Health - **Foundations:** Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation --- *For detailed information about specific projects, collaborations, or research opportunities, please [contact me](mailto:sean.sylvia@unc.edu).*