GRK 2535:  Knowledge- and Data-Driven Personalisation of Medicine at the Point of Care

• Subject Area: Medicine
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 407978809

The WisPerMed Research Training Group (RTG) is dedicated to advancing personalised medicine by integrating disciplines such as medical informatics, AI, psychology, and clinical medicine. At the heart of our program is the comprehensive training of doctoral researchers, preparing them to lead the future of personalised healthcare. At the core of our research is a comprehensive, semantically interoperable clinical data repository. By combining predictive modelling with rule-based approaches, we aim to create adaptive and interpretable systems that cater to the specific needs of healthcare professionals and patients. This ensures that clinical support systems are contextually relevant and aligned with personalised care practices. We explore advanced technology such as augmented reality, virtual reality, large language models, and interactive clinical dashboards to redefine how medical data is accessed, utilised, interpreted, and interacted with. Our interdisciplinary qualification program equips doctoral candidates with both technical and clinical competencies, ensuring they are well-prepared to address the complex challenges of personalised medicine. The program is structured around a robust curriculum that includes seminars, workshops, and practical experiences, fostering the integration of clinical and technical knowledge. Researchers benefit from direct involvement in real-world medical settings, particularly through clinical hospitations and interactions with patient representatives. These interactions provide insights into the ethical, human, and technical dimensions of their research, helping to develop AI technologies that are patient-centred, contextually relevant, and practically applicable at the point of care. The program emphasises the development of key skills in data management, ethical AI deployment, and human-machine interaction. Doctoral researchers engage in projects that range from advanced AI models to intuitive user interfaces, ensuring that they are capable of designing systems that enhance both clinician workflows and patient outcomes. By focusing on cutting-edge topics like augmented reality, large language models, and multimodal dashboards, our researchers are positioned to transform the landscape of healthcare through innovation and adaptability. WisPerMed also integrates cross-disciplinary collaboration with external experts, expanding the researchers’ exposure to international trends and innovations. Secondments at other research facilities and healthcare industries provide further opportunities for researchers to broaden their skill sets and develop solutions that can be implemented in varied healthcare contexts. Through this comprehensive, interdisciplinary training approach, WisPerMed ensures that its graduates are future leaders in driving the digital transformation of healthcare, contributing to the development of AI solutions that are trustworthy, adaptable, and seamlessly integrated into clinical workflows.

• DFG Programme: Research Training Groups
• Applicant Institution: Universität Duisburg-Essen
• Participating Institution: Fachhochschule Dortmund
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Felix Nensa
• Participating Researchers: Professorin Dr. Britta Böckmann; Professor Dr.-Ing. Christoph M. Friedrich; Professor Dr. Norbert Fuhr; Professor Dr. Marc Hesenius; Professor Dr. Peter Horn; Professor Dr. Jens Kleesiek; Professorin Dr. Nicole Krämer; Professor Markus Kukuk, Ph.D.; Professor Dr. Johannes Köster; Professorin Dr. Elisabeth Livingstone; Dr. Georg Lodde; Dr. Obioma Pelka; Professorin Dr. Sabine Sachweh; Professor Dr. Dirk Schadendorf; Professor Dr. Andreas Stang