Dmitry 鈥淒ima鈥 Strakovsky is fostering collaborations between creative disciplines and health care through an innovative initiative at the University of Kentucky.
brings together multidisciplinary teams to take on big challenges in STEM + H Education (science, technology, engineering, math and health sciences) and supports commercialization efforts aimed at making real differences in health care in Kentucky and across the country.
鈥淐reative Link is a way to get the creatives from one side of campus to talk to the health care side of campus,鈥 said Strakovsky, associate professor in the in . 鈥淲e try to define creatives in the most open way possible, spanning a number of different colleges and units.鈥
Some of the 好色先生 colleges and units collaborating with Creative Link include the , College of Medicine, and the
The initiative has already launched groundbreaking projects by tapping into the expertise of its cross-disciplinary teams on campus with focuses on conversational AI, adaptive device prototyping and digital tooling.
鈥淲e often generate training data sets for our large language models, with guidance, for example, from the College of Public Health or the College of Medicine,鈥 Strakovsky said. 鈥淭hese experts bring real experience with patients and clients allowing us to address specific gaps.鈥
Large language models are machine learning models that can comprehend and generate human language text.
Strakovsky emphasizes that quick prototyping of potential solutions has been instrumental in the success of Creative Link.
鈥淲e can prototype incredibly fast. When I say fast, I quite literally mean days to weeks, not months.鈥
One of the initiative鈥檚 standout efforts is a project from the College of Health Sciences. focuses on working with families and children of all abilities to develop adaptive solutions for toys. The goal is to ensure that every child, regardless of their ability, can play alongside their classmates and siblings.
鈥淰ery often, this means adapting a toy. For example, a child can press a switch to interact and fully engage in play with others,鈥 Strakovsky said.
Strakovsky says the project鈥檚 collaborative approach is grounded in its dedication to creating meaningful, practical solutions.
鈥淧eople often come to the creative side of campus with a specific request, like, 鈥楥an you make this?鈥欌 Strakovsky said. 鈥淲e respond with, 鈥榊es, but wouldn鈥檛 it be more interesting to collaborate and tap into what we know about design, art and cultural processes?鈥欌
Creative Link鈥檚 reach is expanding through internal support from the Office of the Vice President for Research鈥檚 Emerging Themes Program, part of the , which Strakovsky says has opened doors to new connections across campus.
鈥淏efore submitting our proposal, I spoke to over 40 people across campus,鈥 Strakovsky said. 鈥淪ome of those conversations directly parlayed into projects we are doing now.
鈥淎lso, frankly, for someone who is coming from a fine arts background, it was really interesting to get an introduction to how folks from more science and health science backgrounds function.鈥
About Creative Link for Advancing Digital Health
Creative Link for Advancing Digital Health brings together investigators from the arts, humanities and other creative disciplines with biomedical researchers and providers to identify gaps in health care and develop innovative digital solutions. .
About the Emerging Themes for Research program
Strakovsky is one of six 好色先生 researchers participating in the Research Leadership Academy鈥檚 Emerging Themes for Research program. The purpose of the program is to support emerging research that creates, grows and sustains a healthier, wealthier and wiser Kentucky. .