Shu-Fen Wung, 2 Engineering researchers, awarded TRIF grant

Sept. 5, 2024

The University of Arizona College of Nursing’s Shu-Fen Wung, PhD, MS, RN, ACNP-BC, FAAN, a professor and director of Nursing-Engineering Initiatives, received a $120,000 Technology and Research Initiative Fund grant for her Personalized Intelligent Care for Older Adults with Infections project.

Wung is one of three principal investigators for the project. The others are from the College of Engineering: professor Janet Roveda, PhD, who has a joint appointment with the College of Nursing, and associate professor Jian Liu, PhD.

“Our research team is very excited and grateful to receive this TRIF grant,” said Wung. “Our proposed project aligns with the three focus areas of the TRIF, including the Internet of Things, data sciences, and artificial intelligence and machine learning. This grant will further my area of research and meet the College of Nursing’s strategic priority to create a center of health and technology to integrate nursing knowledge with engineering principles to design innovative solutions that enhance patient care, safety, overall health care outcomes and health equity.”

The project will develop a smart, multimodal sensing architecture together with deep learning models capable of modeling individualized health surveillance needs, Wung said. The sensors will adjust appropriate surveillance strategies and provide timely information to assist in the early recognition of infection and care decisions for vulnerable older adults in long-term care facilities.

One of my goals when I joined the University of Arizona was to bring together the fields of nursing and engineering to find ways to enhance patient care,” said Brian Ahn, PhD, dean of the College of Nursing. “Dr. Wung and her co-PIs at Engineering will be the first step on this journey, finding real-world solutions to help our most at-risk populations, including older adults. We look forward to their great work.”

Nurses often encounter practical challenges in patient care and are in a unique position to identify areas needing innovation, Wung said. Because of this, the college’s aim to be a center of health and technology will require creating interdisciplinary teams that can integrate nursing care and research with engineering principles.

“By working together with our partners in the College of Engineering and community partner, Via Elegante Assisted Living & Memory Care, we can develop advanced technologies with analytics to revolutionize health care by enabling nurses and care team to be more innovative, which will improve patient outcomes and health care delivery,” Wung said. 

Roveda added, “The College of Nursing, under Dean Ahn and Professor Wung’s leadership, is spearheading personalized care for aging populations.”

Terry Badger, PhD, RN, PMHCNS-BC, a professor, the Eleanor Bauwens endowed chair at the College of Nursing and the interim associate dean for research, said, “Dr. Shu-Fen Wung’s groundbreaking project unites the unique expertise of nursing and engineering to address critical health care challenges.”

TRIF is a program supported and approved by Arizona voters that creates impactful solutions to state and global problems, prepares students for the workforce of tomorrow and contributes as one of the largest economic engines for Arizona. TRIF grants go to all three state universities.