Workshop on Medical Communication Systems (MedCOMM)

Monday, August 13, 2012
Helsinki, Finland
Rooms: #25-26

Technical Program

9:00-9:15 Welcoming Remarks
Welcoming Remarks by Prof. Kevin Fu
9:15-10:00 Keynote
Open Access to My Heart’s Data
Hugo Campos
Keynote
10:00-10:30 Wireless Neural Interfaces
Prof. Arto Nurmikko (Brown University, Engineering and Physics)
Invited Talk
10:30-11:00 Coffee Break
11:00-12:30 Session 1: Wireless Medical Devices: Implanted and Worn
Emerging Wireless Applications in Biomedicine
Prof. Ada Poon (Stanford University, Electrical Engineering)
Invited Talk
Electronics on Contact Lenses and Low Power Sensor Interfaces/Wireless for Peer-to-Peer Medical Communication
Prof. Brian Otis (University of Washington, Electrical Engineering)
Invited Talk
Modulated Backscatter for Ultra-low Power Uplinks from Wearable and Implantable Devices
Stewart J. Thomas, Jordan S. Besnoff, Matthew S. Reynolds (Duke University)
Paper
12:30-14:00 Lunch Break
14:00-15:00 Session 2: Medical Device Communication: Safety, Effectiveness, Security
Microchip Based Sensors and Drug Delivery Systems
Bob Farra (MicroCHIPS President, COO)
Invited Talk
Towards a Safe Integrated Clinical Environment: A Communication Security Perspective
Denis Foo Kune, Yongdae Kim (Univ. Minnesota); Krishna Venkatasubramanian, Insup Lee (UPenn); Eugene Vasserman (Kansas State Univ.)
Paper
15:00-15:30 Social Engineering Event
15:30-16:00 Coffee Break
16:00-17:00 Session 3: Medical Communication: Radio Interference and Propagation
Wireless Medical Devices and Electromagnetic Compatibility
Don Witters* (Center for Devices and Radiological Health [CDRH] at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration [FDA])
Invited Talk
RF Propagation in Body Area Networks
Kamran Sayrafian (U.S. Information Technology Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology [NIST])
Invited Talk

* pending federal approval

Introduction

ACM MedCOMM invites papers that stimulate research in communications or computer networks with application to medical device communication systems. Key properties include safety, effectiveness, reliability, and security.

There is an increasing trend toward the convergence of wireless communication, Internet connectivity, and medicine. Devices with advanced computer communication range from body-worn health monitors to implantable medical devices to remote robotic medical devices in the battlefield. A growing list of such devices includes artificial vision, brain-computer interfaces for prosthetics, cardiac monitors, defibrillators, digital mammography, glucose monitors, infusion pumps, insulin pumps, neurostimulators, pacemakers, radiological electronic picture archiving and communication systems, and smart stents. All these systems depend on the safe, effective, reliable, and secure communication and computer networking. Advanced research on medical communication systems will help innovators of next-generation medical technologies that aim to improve public health in the digital age.

Flyer PDF Version

Topics

We solicit submissions on topics including, but not limited to, the following:

Safe and effective network architectures and protocols for highly interoperable wireless medical devices
Applications of cognitive radio to maximize spectrum utilization and spectrum sharing on unlicensed bands
Data integrity and reliability issues in allocated or unlicensed spectrum
Mobile phones as medical sensor gateways
Ultra-low power communications
Deployment of open medical communication systems
Communications and computer networks designed for validation, formal
verification, or hazard analysis
Usability issues, security/privacy issues, regulatory/policy issues
Industrial experiences, provider experiences, regulator experiences

Submission Instructions

Papers should fall into one of the following categories: position paper or early-stage systems/measurement paper. MedCOMM does not seek papers of already sufficient maturity for full-length conference papers. Rather, the workshop seeks innovative papers that discuss early-stage research or consider unconventional ideas for medical communication systems. The program committee will favor papers that are likely to generate healthy debate at the workshop. We recognize that early-stage papers will not necessarily have completed all experiments, simulation, or analysis. However, papers must have credible motivation and reasonable evidence of feasibility with clearly stated evaluation criteria.

Papers may not exceed 6 pages (including references) and must be in PDF format. Text must be in two-column, 10pt format. Reviews will be single-blind: please include author names and affiliation in the submission. Submissions must be original work not under review at any other workshop, conference, or journal. Papers not adhering to the guidelines will be rejected without review.

Authors of accepted papers are expected to present their papers at the workshop; at least one author must register to join the interactive workshop. Papers should be submitted via the submission site. Information about student stipends will appear in late Spring.

Email the Organizers