VCOM View Magazine Vol. 14 | No. 1

Representatives from VCOM and CHSR at the announcement of the $3.5 million grant.

asthma and cancer. By correlating health trends with environmental factors, the system can uncover hidden drivers of illness and predict future health challenges. One of the standout features of the system is its use of advanced technologies in collaboration with the Alabama Artificial Intelligence Center (AAICE) and the AUBix data center. These partnerships enable the system to process vast amounts of data efficiently, providing continuous surveillance and insights that are especially valuable in military settings. The ability to track disease outbreaks around military installations will allow the Department of Defense to maintain operational readiness and ensure that any potential biothreats are detected early. Fred Rawlins II, DO, co-principal investigator on the project and chief medical officer for VLMS, noted the value of tracking student clinical experiences through VLMS, which provides crucial early health data from students across rural, underserved areas.

“What makes VLMS unique is that VCOM operates a distributed network of students in rural communities, providing critical early data on emerging health trends,” Dr. Rawlins said. “Our students in the field played a key role in tracking illness patterns, helping us respond quickly to what we now know was the beginning of the pandemic.” Per Gunnar Brolinson, DO, vice president for research (left), and Fred Rawlins, II, DO, senior associate dean for simulation and technology (right)

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