Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital are exploring more than 50 research projects to support the world-wide effort to find better ways to treat and prevent COVID-19.
The Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund is providing seed funding for a number of these projects, including a study led by Dr. Justin Presseau and colleauges to use state-of-the-art behavioural science and artificial intelligence to develop an app that can help people reduce how much they touch their eyes, nose and mouth.
This T-shaped area of the face known as the T-zone is the main way that the COVID-19 virus gets into the body. Reducing T-zone touching could reduce the transmission of COVID-19, as well as transmission of other infections that pass through the nose and mouth.
Most people touch their T-zone 15-20 times per hour, often without realizing it. The app would help people become aware of this behavior and walk them through possible techniques and training to reduce T-zone touching.
This project will involve international experts in machine learning and computer vision, health psychology and behaviour change, and human-centred design and infection control.
- Research team at The Ottawa Hospital/uOttawa: Drs. Justin Presseau, Jeremy Grimshaw, Jamie Brehaut, Doug Manuel, Kathy Suh
- External collaborators: Drs. Andrew Morris (University of Toronto), Audrey Durand, Jean-François Lalonde, Holly Witteman (Université Laval), Brenda Wilson (Memorial University of Newfoundland), Susan Michie, John Shawe-Taylor, Robert West, (University College London), Jill Francis (University of Melbourne).
- Core Resources at The Ottawa Hospital: Ottawa Methods Centre
The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.
Media Contact
Amelia Buchanan
Senior Communication Specialist
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Office: 613-798-5555 x 73687
Cell: 613-297-8315
ambuchanan@ohri.ca
