UMBC and Georgia State receive $3M NIMH grant to improve data-driven diagnosis of mood disorders

UMBC and Georgia State University have received a $3 million five-year grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) for research supporting the diagnosis of mood disorders. Tulay Adali, professor of computer science and electrical engineering (CSEE) and distinguished university professor, will lead UMBC’s portion of the research, which will receive about $870,000 in support.

Mental illnesses and mood disorders are complicated and can be challenging to identify, says Adali. Diagnoses are often made based on symptoms that a person experiences, rather than using quantifiable measures, and descriptions of symptoms can be quite variable and subjectively observed and evaluated. 

The research team hopes to improve doctors’ ability to diagnose mood disorders through more quantitative, consistent measures. They will develop dynamic approaches to understanding how the continuously changing state of the brain is affected by mental illness. And their recommendations will include data from a range of sources, to more accurately reflect the complexity of mental illness.

Adali will work with her former graduate student Vince Calhoun, Ph.D. ‘02, electrical engineering. Calhoun is currently the director of the Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science (TReENDS) at Georgia State University. Adali and Calhoun have worked together on multiple research grants in the past. 

In this project, the UMBC group led by Adali will focus on diagnostic methods, particularly the use of medical imaging data, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Adali and her team will develop multivariate data-driven models to help capture changes over time and space. They will apply these models to large datasets to evaluate their performance as diagnostic tools. The researchers will assess the reproducibility and replicability of the methods that are developed.

“I am especially excited about our proposal to identify homogeneous subgroups of subjects in a completely data-driven manner from neuroimaging data,” says Adali. “We hope this will enable us to better define subtypes of mental disorders and will help inform effective and personalized forms of therapy.” 

This story was adapted from a UMBC News article written by Megan Hanks.

The post UMBC and Georgia State receive $3M NIMH grant to improve data-driven diagnosis of mood disorders appeared first on Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.

UMBC and Georgia State receive $3M NIMH grant to improve data-driven diagnosis of mood disorders

UMBC and Georgia State University have received a $3 million five-year grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) for research supporting the diagnosis of mood disorders. Tulay Adali, professor of computer science and electrical engineering (CSEE) and distinguished university professor, will lead UMBC’s portion of the research, which will receive about $870,000 in support.

Mental illnesses and mood disorders are complicated and can be challenging to identify, says Adali. Diagnoses are often made based on symptoms that a person experiences, rather than using quantifiable measures, and descriptions of symptoms can be quite variable and subjectively observed and evaluated. 

The research team hopes to improve doctors’ ability to diagnose mood disorders through more quantitative, consistent measures. They will develop dynamic approaches to understanding how the continuously changing state of the brain is affected by mental illness. And their recommendations will include data from a range of sources, to more accurately reflect the complexity of mental illness.

Adali will work with her former graduate student Vince Calhoun, Ph.D. ‘02, electrical engineering. Calhoun is currently the director of the Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science (TReENDS) at Georgia State University. Adali and Calhoun have worked together on multiple research grants in the past. 

In this project, the UMBC group led by Adali will focus on diagnostic methods, particularly the use of medical imaging data, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Adali and her team will develop multivariate data-driven models to help capture changes over time and space. They will apply these models to large datasets to evaluate their performance as diagnostic tools. The researchers will assess the reproducibility and replicability of the methods that are developed.

“I am especially excited about our proposal to identify homogeneous subgroups of subjects in a completely data-driven manner from neuroimaging data,” says Adali. “We hope this will enable us to better define subtypes of mental disorders and will help inform effective and personalized forms of therapy.” 

This story was adapted from a UMBC News article written by Megan Hanks.

The post UMBC and Georgia State receive $3M NIMH grant to improve data-driven diagnosis of mood disorders appeared first on Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.

UMBC and Georgia State receive $3M NIMH grant to improve data-driven diagnosis of mood disorders

UMBC and Georgia State University have received a $3 million five-year grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) for research supporting the diagnosis of mood disorders. Tulay Adali, professor of computer science and electrical engineering (CSEE) and distinguished university professor, will lead UMBC’s portion of the research, which will receive about $870,000 in support.

Mental illnesses and mood disorders are complicated and can be challenging to identify, says Adali. Diagnoses are often made based on symptoms that a person experiences, rather than using quantifiable measures, and descriptions of symptoms can be quite variable and subjectively observed and evaluated. 

The research team hopes to improve doctors’ ability to diagnose mood disorders through more quantitative, consistent measures. They will develop dynamic approaches to understanding how the continuously changing state of the brain is affected by mental illness. And their recommendations will include data from a range of sources, to more accurately reflect the complexity of mental illness.

Adali will work with her former graduate student Vince Calhoun, Ph.D. ‘02, electrical engineering. Calhoun is currently the director of the Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science (TReENDS) at Georgia State University. Adali and Calhoun have worked together on multiple research grants in the past. 

In this project, the UMBC group led by Adali will focus on diagnostic methods, particularly the use of medical imaging data, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Adali and her team will develop multivariate data-driven models to help capture changes over time and space. They will apply these models to large datasets to evaluate their performance as diagnostic tools. The researchers will assess the reproducibility and replicability of the methods that are developed.

“I am especially excited about our proposal to identify homogeneous subgroups of subjects in a completely data-driven manner from neuroimaging data,” says Adali. “We hope this will enable us to better define subtypes of mental disorders and will help inform effective and personalized forms of therapy.” 

This story was adapted from a UMBC News article written by Megan Hanks.

The post UMBC and Georgia State receive $3M NIMH grant to improve data-driven diagnosis of mood disorders appeared first on Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.

Congratulations to Dr. Jamie Gurganus on being selected for the Diane M. Lee Teaching award for AY 20-2021!

The review committee was very impressed with Dr. Gurganus’ application and the comments shared by her students and colleagues. Dr. Gurganus’ approach to her own professional development and how that enhanced her creativity in working with her students is truly unique. She has given herself permission to explore teaching and learning through multiple phases of a student’s educational experience, and, as a result, she has developed and allowed for multiple ways of learning on the part of the students. That creativity and innovation supports them in learning who they are and what they can accomplish. It also makes room for every student to create a space for learning that is uniquely their own.

"Dr. Gurganus, or more affectionately named Prof G by many students, is the type of instructor that teaches with care and mattering. She is a professor that cares about you as a whole person and your success in and out of the classroom. She truly listens to students and explains concepts in a way that is straightforward, giving students the resources and support they need in order to be successful. She emulates and teaches what it means to be an engineer and the importance of professional skills, thinking critically, and being the best you can be. She has been a huge mentor and inspiration for me throughout my career, both personally and professionally, and I am so glad I could assist in the recognition she rightfully deserves." Shannon Clancy ’19, PhD Pre-candidate at University of Michigan, NSF Graduate Research Fellow

This is the inaugural year for this award; Dr. Diane Lee served as Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs and is now, in her retirement, serving as the Director of the Wisdom Institute at UMBC.