Your browser is unsupported

We recommend using the latest version of IE11, Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari.

It’s All in the Data: Advancing Data Analytics and COVID-19 Informatics

Jorge Rodriguez-Fernandez M.D.

My name is Jorge Rodriguez-Fernandez M.D. Prior to graduating from the Neurology residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago, I went to medical school at Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia, and worked around five years in understanding brain function at Yale University and Columbia University.

After graduating from the Neurology residency, I decided to continue my training at UIC for a fellowship in clinical informatics (CI). UIC offers the second-oldest CI fellowship in the nation and offers different topics within clinical informatics. Part of my current work includes engaging clinicians in health data management, especially since our recent transition to a different electronic medical record. In addition, in conjunction with Dr. Jeffery Loeb and Dr. Biswajit Maharathi, we are studying the effects of lesions in the brain to understand any correlation with epileptogenicity. We are asking ourselves how a “normal” human brain transitions to an epileptic brain and how brain lesions may affect this process. In this work, we plan to combine structural and electroencephalogram (EEG) data.

Also, as part of the ongoing efforts nationwide, we are studying the effects of COVID-19 using available prediction models and artificial intelligence (AI). We are evaluating how current, available models generalize locally when compared to community cohorts. For example, we are looking at how models compare to a local Chicago cohort. Our goal is to provide clinicians with tools that may help or guide prognostication. Overall, I feel privileged to work with this amazing group and to be at the forefront of big data and \ Finally, together with Dr. Daniel Hier, former head of Neurology, we are working to simplify and improve patients’ notes on our electronic health records to improve patient care and reduce physician burnout.