Prof. Yang Liu of University Of Iowa

Optical Instrumentation, computer vision, and augmented reality are powerful platform technologies. In this lecture, we will discuss how these technologies can be used for medical applications. I will give an overview of the technologies and current challenges relevant to medical and surgical settings. The recent advances in image acquisition, computer vision, photonics, and instrumentation present the scientific community with the opportunity to develop new systems to impact healthcare. Leveraging an integrated design, advantages of hardware and software approach can be combined, and shortcomings can be complemented. I will present new approaches of fluorescence imaging for surgical applications. We will discuss hardware instrumentation, algorithm development, and system deployment.  New development in multimodal imaging and image registration will also be discussed. For example, a combination of real-time intraoperative optical imaging and CT-based surgical navigation represents a promising approach for clinical decision support. Integration of 3D imaging and augmented reality provides surgeons with an intuitive way to visualize surgical data. In addition to technological development, I will discuss the clinical translation of systems and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Interdisciplinary approaches to solving complex problems in surgically relevant settings will be described.

Biography:

Yang Liu, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Iowa. His research program focuses on bioinstrumentation, optical imaging, augmented reality, and computer vision. He has served as the principal investigator of grants from the US Army, the US Air Force, NASA, the Ohio Department of Development, and the Ohio Department of Education, and Frederick Gardner Cottrell Foundation. Dr. Liu is a Young Investigator award recipient from the International Society of Computer Aided Surgery. His research has been featured by national media such as the DoD Research Highlights and the CNBC TV. The imaging instruments his team developed are currently being used at Cleveland Clinic in clinical studies. Dr. Liu received his PhD from Washington University in St. Louis in 2013. He is a scholar who values multidisciplinary collaboration.