The doctoral dissertation in the field of Computer Science will be examined at the Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology, Joensuu Campus.
What is the topic of your doctoral research? Why is it important to study the topic?
Exciting developments are underway in healthcare as we shift towards a more personalized approach to disease prediction and care. Understanding when diseases might emerge and how they progress is now at the forefront of medical innovation.
In Gulraiz Iqbal Choudhary’s dissertation, he has unveiled three novel approaches to study heart rhythms data from healthy individuals to those affected by diseases and aging. By analyzing these rhythms, he aims to understand how our nervous system controls our hearts, which weakens as we age or develop diseases, leading to severe heart diseases. As we age or develop diseases, the autonomic nervous system (ANS) control weakens, leading to a decline in heart rate variability (HRV), a phenomenon linked with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Choudhary's research leverages this understanding to develop prediction algorithms capable of empowering individuals to take proactive steps in managing their health.
What are the key findings or observations of your doctoral research?
The methodologies introduced in this research employ innovative techniques. By studying symmetry in network patterns, these approaches shed light on the complexities of chronic diseases and offer early detection insights.
One of the methodologies focuses on predicting the onset of congestive heart failure with high accuracy, while another method effectively distinguishes between healthy individuals and those with atrial fibrillation. The third method demonstrates promising results in classifying disease onset when applied to shorter time series.
Moreover, by leveraging extensive patient records, including 3.9 million electronic health records from Finland, the research achieves remarkable accuracy in predicting both individual disease occurrences and sequences of future diseases.
These findings hold immense promise for improving healthcare outcomes by enabling early intervention, reducing disease burden, and cutting healthcare costs. By empowering individuals with the tools to monitor and manage their health proactively, Choudhary's research paves the way for a healthier future for all.
In summary, this research represents a significant step forward in disease prediction and personalized healthcare. The methods developed offer practical solutions for early detection and management of chronic diseases.
What are the key research methods and materials used in your doctoral research?
The novel methods developed offer practical solutions for early detection and management of chronic diseases. The research uses real human data and synthetic datasets to validate its effectiveness.
The doctoral dissertation of Gulraiz Iqbal Choudhary, MSc, entitled Predicting disease onset and progression will be examined at the Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology, Joensuu Campus. The opponent will be Professor Tapio Pahikkala, University of Turku, and the custos will be Professor Pasi Fränti, University of Eastern Finland. Language of the public defence is English.
For more information, please contact:
Gulraiz Iqbal Choudhary, gulraiz@cs.uef.fi
