ANTHONY FAIOLA

Anthony (Tony) Faiola, PhD, MFA, is a Full Professor in the Department of Population Health in the College of Nursing (CON), University of Cincinnati (UC). See CV and Research Statement below:

Faiola - CV & Research Statement
Google Scholar / PubMed

OVERVIEW
Dr. Faiola’s research lies at the intersection of biomedical informatics and human-centered computing, where he leverages the medical sciences, the social/cognitive sciences, human factors, and usability science to develop, test, and clinically study the effects of digital health solutions with targeted patient populations and clinicians. His formative education, coupled with acquired cross-disciplinary knowledge and research methods, has enabled him to map a progressive line of inquiry with increasing focus and innovation.
 
His research interests have gradually shifted from the field of human-centered computing to the challenges of complex health systems and human behavior when engaging virtual reality (VR) platforms, biosensors, and mobile health applications. Since 2006, the aim of his translational research has been to generate new knowledge and innovative digital health interventions that have a direct impact on the therapeutic treatment of patients with a range of non-communicable diseases. His current research falls within the broader domains of Digital Health Solutions and Health Behavior, with considerable emphasis on the former.
 
Digital health, as Dr. Faiola’s primary research focus, includes three health information technologies (HIT) with their respective patient populations and interdisciplinary methods. This research includes the assembling of and collaboration with physicians, nurses, biomedical and mechanical engineers, biochemists, biomedical informaticians, and medical researchers who share Dr. Faiola’s passion and focus on several diseases and health conditions. The three HIT areas include:

HIT #1: VRx-Virtual (Mixed Reality) Therapeutic Medicine—Supporting patients with mild cognitive impairment.
HIT #2: Diagnostic Nano-Biosensors—Supporting patients with prostate cancer and cystic fibrosis.
HIT #3: Mobile Health—Supporting health disparities experienced by patients and families.

See details below.

PhD: Purdue University W. Lafayette, IN, 2005 (Communication: Social Science Specialization: Sociocultural / Behavioral Psychology, Cognitive Modeling and Information Technology.)

MA: The Ohio State University Columbus, OH, 1984 ( Industrial Design: Communication Design (Specialization: Human Factors / Interactive Media Learning Systems))

MFA: The Ohio State University Columbus, OH, 1979

BFA: SUNY New Paltz New Paltz, NY, 1975

MA: SUNY Albany Albany, NY, 1977

HIT #1: VRx-Virtual (Reality) Therapeutic Medicine
Dr. Faiola’s VRx research employs immersive VR technology, which is currently revolutionizing the field of non-invasive medicine. His application of VRx is related to investigating the efficacy of a novel immersive VRx training platform (Virtual Reality—Cognitive Rehabilitation Training (VR-CRT)) to treat mild cognitive impairment (MCI) of cancer (brain / breast), dementia, and stroke patients. The aim is to mitigate cognitive dysfunction and improve synaptic plasticity by increasing sensory engagement through movement/embedded selective attention training exercises. Patients are directed to focus and filter visual/auditory information as they navigate through a 3D immersive game-centered environment, with the goal of increasing neurotransmission. An initial pilot study demonstrated improved verbal fluency, executive function, and broader cognitive plasticity. Future research includes AI-powered ai-VR-CRT to leverage artificial intelligence to enhance the cognitive rehabilitation experience for patients with MCI. ai-VR-CRT holds the potential for greater cognitive stimuli and frontoparietal network engagement, which includes three AI algorithms that allow greater precision in data analysis, real-time player modulation, and tracking of game difficulty and performance, thereby providing increased adaptability for each patient’s personalized progress.    
 
HIT #2: Diagnostic Nano-Biosensors
Dr. Faiola’s research with biosensors includes the use of volatile organic compound (VOC) biomarkers and nano-sensor integration, in conjunction with handheld smart sensor systems for accurate and noninvasive detection. This research seeks to determine whether existing VOC detection technology coupled with biometric readouts is sufficiently robust and sensitive to diagnose a multiplicity of diseases by scent. Study populations for this research include patients with prostate cancer and cystic fibrosis, with prior related work with type 1 diabetes (hypoglycemia) patients. Current funded research: (1) VOCs emanating from urine will support screening for patients diagnosed with prostate cancer and will result in a portable GC-MS system to screen and detect prostate cancer in clinical settings and within a patient’s home. (2) A handheld smart sensor system (integrated with machine learning algorithms) will accurately and noninvasively detect pulmonary exacerbations in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients at point-of-care through rapid CF VOC detection.
 
HIT #3: Mobile Health (mHealth)
Dr. Faiola’s work in mHealth includes the development, testing, and implementation of mobile apps, web portal dashboards, and backend databases to deliver community-focused, patient/caregiver-centered, and high-quality cancer care. Current study populations for this research include families of cancer patients and underserved cancer patients to improve timely access to a broad range of services and healthcare, besides basic treatment, i.e., chemotherapy. Current and recently completed research includes two projects: (1) This funded clinical study addresses the mental health disparities of families of cancer patients from rural Kentucky by investigating the efficacy of a newly developed mHealth platform (FamCare+) to reduce anxiety/depression of cancer patient families by connecting families at home with clinicians at the bedside. (2) The goal of this funded project, Comprehensive Connected Cancer Care (C4), is to advance health equity for underserved populations by improving timely access to community-focused and patient-centered services and education, particularly targeting underserved populations such as rural, low-income uninsured communities.
 

Grant: #NSF 23-614, Investigators: A. Faiola (UC), M. Agarwal; DB. Sanders; S. Cao; M. Woollam (Indiana U) 2024 -2028 NIH R01 (Connected Health) Hand-held Smart Sensor for Detecting Cystic Fibrosis Pulmonary Exacerbations Role:CoPI (Site PI) $1.2M Active Type:Grant Level:National

Grant: # NIH PA-24-022, Investigators: A. Faiola (UC); S. Khan, B. Khan (Indiana U / Regenstrief Institute) 2024 -2027 NIH R21 Trailblazer Measuring the feasibility, acceptability, and fidelity of intervention delivery for virtual-reality cognitive gaming exercise among critically ill older adults at risk for ICU-acquired mild cognitive impairment (Alzheimer’s and dementias; including its effect on pain, anxiety, delirium) Role:CoI / Site PI $400K Pending Type:Grant Level:National

Grant: # NIH PAR-21-210, Investigators: A. Faiola (UC); S. Khan, B. Khan (Indiana U / Regenstrief Institute) 2024 -2029 NIH R21 Measuring efficacy intervention delivery for virtual-reality cognitive game system for critically ill older adults at risk for ICU-acquired mild cognitive impairment and delirium Role:CoPI $2.5M Planned/In Preparation Type:Grant Level:National

Grant: #ACS Discovery, Investigators:A. Faiola (UC) 2025 -2028 American Cancer Society Measuring the feasibility, acceptability, and fidelity of intervention delivery for a virtual-reality game cognitive training platform for breast cancer patient survivors at risk for mild cognitive impairment. Role:PI $800K Planned/In Preparation Type:Grant Level:National

Grant: # ACS PASD-Team-23-1076327-01-PASD, Investigators: A. Faiola (UC), M. Agarwal; M. Woollam (Indiana U) 2024 -2028 American Cancer Society Canine-inspired Identification and Analysis of Volatile Organic Biomarkers of Prostate Cancer using Portable GC-MS & Develop, of a Hand-held Nanosensor System Role: CoPI $1.2M Active Type:Grant Level:National

Grant: # Merck Award, Investigators: A. Faiola (UC); P. Hull, T. Mullett, M. Chih, B. Shelton (U of Kentucky), 2022 -2027 Merck Foundation Award: Alliance for Equity in Cancer Care Comprehensive Connected Cancer Care (C4) Center Role:Co-I $2M Active Type:Grant Level:National

Grant: #USDA 1000100537 Investigators: P. Hull, S. Mulvaney (Vanderbilt), A. Faiola, 2017 -2024 USDA /National Institute of Food & Agriculture Children Eating Well (CHEW) Smartphone Application for WIC Families Role:Co-PI $2.5M Completed Type:Grant Level:National

Grant: #311122 Investigators:T. Heller, Y. Balcazar A. Young, A. Faiola 2020 -2025 NIDILRR-ARCP Advanced Training in Translational and Community-Engaged Scholarship to Improve Community Living & Participation for People with Disabilities (Funding ended once began at UK) Role:Co-PI $999,995 Active Type:Grant Level:National

Grant: # AHRQ HS25443-02 (R21) Investigators: J. Abraham, A. Faiola (Site PI) 2018 -2020 Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality An Etiology for Medication Ordering Errors in CPOE Systems Role:Site PI $297,108 Completed Type:Grant

Grant: # NSF 1502310 Investigators: M. Agarwal, A. Faiola (Site PI), P. Roach, S. Shrestha 2015 -2019 National Science Foundation - Smart & Connected Health Canine-Inspired Smart Sensor for Detecting Hypoglycemia from Human Breath Role:Site PI $450,000 Level:National

Grant: #08-91858-000-HCD Investigators: M. Powers, C. Koch, J. Stewart, A. Faiola 2010 -2012 MacArthur Foundation Grant Creatures Classified: An exploration of cataloging creatures across the galaxy Role:Grant Director $40,000 Completed Type:Grant

Grant: #RRP 06-156 Investigators:B. Doebbeling, M. Flanagan, A. Faiola 2006 -2007 U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs Pre-Implementation of a Decision Support Tool for Improving Patient Handoff $6,800 Completed

Grant: #VFE-183 Investigators: D. Orr, A. Faiola, J. DeFazio 2007 -2009 Clarian Health Computerized Education to Prevent Hypoglycemia When Driving $79,841 Completed Type:Grant

Grant: #601-3200-00-0002 Investigators:A. McDaniel, A. Faiola 2009 -2011 Walther Cancer Institute A Web-Based System to Support Family Caregiving for Cancer Patients $396,147 Completed Type:Grant

Grant: # FWA00003152 Investigators: A. Faiola (PI), C. Morrison, R. Shatz, M. Charif, E. Shaughnessy, S. Rai 07-01-2025 -06-01-2027 American Cancer Society Measuring the feasibility, acceptability, and fidelity of intervention delivery for a virtual-reality game cognitive training platform for breast cancer patient survivors at risk for mild cognitive impairment Role: PI $297,000 Level:National

Grant: #IU (R01HL177812) Investigators:FAIOLA, ANTHONY 09-09-2024 -05-31-2027 National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute SCH: Smart Breath- based Diagnosis of Pulmonary Exacerbations in Children with Cystic Fibrosis through Machine Learning: Towards Noninvasive Health Monitoring in Real-Time (subaward) Role:PI 23238.01 Hold Level:Federal

Grant: #UK FY25 Investigators:FAIOLA, ANTHONY 07-01-2025 -06-30-2026 University of Kentucky Research Foundation, Inc. Comprehensive Connected Cancer Care (C4) Role:PI 0.00 Hold Level:Higher Education

Grant: #10497; PASD-Team-23-1076327-01-PASD Investigators:FAIOLA, ANTHONY; Martini, Alberto -12-31-2028 American Cancer Society - National Chapter Canine-inspired Identification and Analysis of Volatile Organic Biomarkers of Prostate Cancer using Portable GC-MS and Development of a Hand-held Nanosensor System Role:PI 0.00 Hold Level:Non Profit

Peer Reviewed Publications

Liu, Huihui; Azam, Mehreen; Bin Naeem, Salman; Faiola, Anthony (2023. ) An overview of the capabilities of ChatGPT for medical writing and its implications for academic integrity.Health information and libraries journal, , 40 (4 ) ,440-446 More Information

Azam, Mehreen; Bin Naeem, Salman; Kamel Boulos, Maged N; Faiola, Anthony (2023. ) Modelling the Predictors of Mobile Health (mHealth) Adoption among Healthcare Professionals in Low-Resource Environments.International journal of environmental research and public health, , 20 (23 ) , More Information

Weber, Summer Joy; Mulvaney, Shelagh A; Faiola, Anthony; Brown, Madeline; Koyama, Tatsuki; Sun, Lili; Goggans, Susanna Lynn; Hull, Pamela Carmen (2023. ) Commercially Available Mobile Apps With Family Behavioral Goal Setting and Tracking for Parents: Review and Quality Evaluation.JMIR pediatrics and parenting, , 6 ,e41779 More Information

Zolnour, Ali; Eldredge, Christina E; Faiola, Anthony; Yaghoobzadeh, Yadollah; Khani, Masoud; Foy, Doreen; Topaz, Maxim; Kharrazi, Hadi; Fung, Kin Wah; Fontelo, Paul; Davoudi, Anahita; Tabaie, Azade; Breitinger, Scott A; Oesterle, Tyler S; Rouhizadeh, Masoud; Zonnor, Zahra; Moen, Hans; Patrick, Timothy B; Zolnoori, Maryam (2023. ) A risk identification model for detection of patients at risk of antidepressant discontinuation.Frontiers in artificial intelligence, , 6 ,1229609 More Information

Rehman, Aziz-Ur; Bin Naeem, Salman; Faiola, Anthony (2023. ) The prevalence of low health literacy in undergraduate students in Pakistan.Health information and libraries journal, , 40 (1 ) ,103-108 More Information

Faiola, Anthony; Kamel Boulos, Maged N; Bin Naeem, Salman; Ur-Rehman, Aziz (2022. ) Integrating Social and Family Support as a Measure of Health Outcomes: Validity Implications from the Integrated Model of Health Literacy.International journal of environmental research and public health, , 20 (1 ) , More Information

Faiola, Anthony; Papautsky, Elizabeth Lerner; Isola, Miriam (2019. ) Empowering the Aging with Mobile Health: A mHealth Framework for Supporting Sustainable Healthy Lifestyle Behavior.Current problems in cardiology, , 44 (8 ) ,232-266 More Information

Zolnoori, Maryam; Fung, Kin Wah; Patrick, Timothy B; Fontelo, Paul; Kharrazi, Hadi; Faiola, Anthony; Shah, Nilay D; Shirley Wu, Yi Shuan; Eldredge, Christina E; Luo, Jake; Conway, Mike; Zhu, Jiaxi; Park, Soo Kyung; Xu, Kelly; Moayyed, Hamideh (2019. ) The PsyTAR dataset: From patients generated narratives to a corpus of adverse drug events and effectiveness of psychiatric medications.Data in brief, , 24 ,103838 More Information

Zolnoori, Maryam; Fung, Kin Wah; Patrick, Timothy B; Fontelo, Paul; Kharrazi, Hadi; Faiola, Anthony; Wu, Yi Shuan Shirley; Eldredge, Christina E; Luo, Jake; Conway, Mike; Zhu, Jiaxi; Park, Soo Kyung; Xu, Kelly; Moayyed, Hamideh; Goudarzvand, Somaieh (2019. ) A systematic approach for developing a corpus of patient reported adverse drug events: A case study for SSRI and SNRI medications.Journal of biomedical informatics, , 90 ,103091 More Information

Hosseini, Masoud; Faiola, Anthony; Jones, Josette; Vreeman, Daniel J; Wu, Huanmei; Dixon, Brian E (2019. ) Impact of document consolidation on healthcare providers' perceived workload and information reconciliation tasks: a mixed methods study.Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA, , 26 (2 ) ,134-142 More Information

Tunnell, Harry; Faiola, Anthony; Bolchini, Davide; Bartlett Ellis, Rebecca (2018. ) Simulated Clinical Encounters Using Patient-Operated mHealth: Experimental Study to Investigate Patient-Provider Communication.JMIR mHealth and uHealth, , 6 (11 ) ,e11131 More Information

Zolnoori, Maryam; Fung, Kin Wah; Fontelo, Paul; Kharrazi, Hadi; Faiola, Anthony; Wu, Yi Shuan Shirley; Stoffel, Virginia; Patrick, Timothy (2018. ) Identifying the Underlying Factors Associated With Patients' Attitudes Toward Antidepressants: Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Patient Drug Reviews.JMIR mental health, , 5 (4 ) ,e10726 More Information

Hosseini, Masoud; Jones, Josette; Faiola, Anthony; Vreeman, Daniel J; Wu, Huanmei; Dixon, Brian E (2017. ) Reconciling disparate information in continuity of care documents: Piloting a system to consolidate structured clinical documents.Journal of biomedical informatics, , 74 ,123-129 More Information

Faiola, Anthony; Holden, Richard J (2017. ) Consumer Health Informatics: Empowering Healthy-Living-Seekers Through mHealth.Progress in cardiovascular diseases, , 59 (5 ) ,479-486 More Information

Srinivas, Preethi; Reddy, Madhu C; Faiola, Anthony (2016. ) Better managing technology-mediated interruptions in the ICU: Examining the role of patient information for improving text message notifications.AMIA ... Annual Symposium proceedings. AMIA Symposium, , 2016 ,1159-1168 More Information

Faiola, Anthony; Srinivas, Preethi; Duke, Jon (2015. ) Supporting Clinical Cognition: A Human-Centered Approach to a Novel ICU Information Visualization Dashboard. AMIA ... Annual Symposium proceedings. AMIA Symposium, , 2015 ,560-9

Naeem, S. B., Boulos, M. K., & Azam, M., Faiola, A. (2024. ) Determinants of mHealth adoption among people aging with chronic diseases in rural areas: the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model .Future Internet, ,

Soroya, S. H., Rehman, A. U., and Faiola, A. (2023. ) Exploring the impact of Internet and media sources exposure on self-care behavior: Mediating the role of health anxiety, literacy, and information seeking behavior .Kybernetes, , DOI: 10.1108/K-06-2023-1003 ,

Soroya, S. H., Nazir, M., & Faiola, A. (2022. ) Impact of health-related internet use on disease management behavior of chronic patients: Mediating role of perceived credibility of online information.Information Development, , 40 (3 ) , More Information

Faiola, A., Vatani, H., & Agarwal, M. (2019. ) Hypoglycemic Detection by Human Breath: A Mobile Health Application that Alerts Diabetics of Low Blood Glucose.EAI Transactions on Ambient Systems (Special Edition on Smart Coaching Solutions for Health and Well-Being, , 6 (18 ) , More Information

Faiola, A., Newlon, C., Pfaff, M., & Smysolva, O. (2013. ) Correlating the effects of flow and telepresence in virtual worlds: Enhancing our understanding of user behavior in game-based learning.Computers in Human Behavior, , 29 (3 ) ,1113 More Information

Faiola, A., Ho, H., MacDorman, K. F. & Tarrant, M. (2011. ) The aesthetic dimensions of US and South Korean responses to Web homepages: A cross-cultural comparison.International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, , 27 (2 ) , -131More Information

Faiola, A., Davis, S. B., & Edwards, R. L. (2010. ) Extending knowledge domains for new media education: integrating interaction design theory and methods.New Media and Society, , 12 (5 ) , More Information

Matei, S., Faiola, A., Wheatley, D. J., & Altom, T. (2010). (2010. ) The role of physical affordances in multifunctional mobile device design.International Journal of Information Technology and Web Engineering, , 5 (4 ) , More Information

Bolchini, D., Pulido, D., & Faiola, A. (2009. ) Paper-in-screen prototyping: An agile technique to anticipate the mobile experience.Interactions (New Visions of Human-Computer Interaction), , 6 (3 ) , More Information

Faiola, A. & MacDorman, K. (2008. ) Exploring the influence of web designer cognitive style on information design: a cross-cultural comparison of a holistic and analytical perspective.Information, Communication and Society, , 11 (3 ) , More Information

Faiola, A. (2007. ) The design enterprise: Rethinking the HCI education paradigm.Design Issues, , 23 (3 ) , More Information

Belkacem I., Pecci I., Faiola A., Martin B. (2020. ) Investigating a Design Space for Developing Design Thinking in Electronic Healthcare Records.HCI International 2020 - Late Breaking Papers: User Experience Design and Case Studies, , 03 , More Information

Faiola, A, Belkacem I, Bergey D, Pecci I, Martin B. (2019. ) Towards the Design of a Smart Glasses Application for MICU Decision-Support: Assessing the Human Factors Impact of Data Portability & Accessibility.Proceedings of the International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care, , 8 (1 ) , More Information

Belkacem I., Pecci I., Martin B., & Faiola A. (2019. ) TEXTile: Eyes-Free Text Input on Smart Glasses Using Touch Enabled Textile on the Forearm.Proceedings of the 17th IFIP TC 13 International Conference, Paphos, Cyprus, , 11747 , More Information

Faiola, A., Vatani, H., Greenhill, K., Bhuma, M., & Agarwal, M. (2018. ) HYPOalert: Designing Mobile Technology for Hypoglycemic Detection and Monitoring—Based on Human Breath.Proceedings of the 12th EAI International Conference on Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare, , More Information

Srinivas, P., Reddy, M. C., & Faiola, A. (2016. ) Better managing technology-mediated interruptions in the ICU: Examining the role of patient information for improving text message notifications.Proceedings of American Medical Informatics Association, Annual Symposium, , More Information

Srinivas, P., Faiola, A., & Mark, G. (2016. ) Designing guidelines for mobile health technology: Tools for managing notification interruptions in the ICU.Proceedings of ACM CHI Notes, , More Information

Faiola, A., Srinivas, P., & Hillier, S. (2015. ) Improving patient safety: Integrating data visualization and communication into ICU workflow to reduce cognitive load.Proceedings of the International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care, , More Information