Advancing Innovative Solutions in Pediatric Health

Delayed antibiotic administration can lead to severe patient outcomes, so how can hospitals ensure pediatric patients are receiving timely doses? Similarly, loss of body water can lead to problems ranging from a mild headache to a coma, so how can hospitals optimally manage fluid intake for pediatric patients?

Terence Sanger posed these concerns to students of the Master of Data Science (MDS) program in UC Irvine’s Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS). As a faculty member at UC Irvine and staff physician for Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC — part of Rady Children’s Health), Sanger challenged students to explore one of these questions as part of their MDS capstone project.

Tackling Pediatric Healthcare Challenges

Yufei Li, Yu-Han Chang and Wenqian Luo tackled the first question and studied feature classification to predict antibiotic administration timing. This involved identifying key predictors for differentiating patients receiving antibiotics within 72 hours versus beyond 72 hours. For 10 weeks, these MDS students worked to identify key features enabling timely (versus delayed) interventions.

Yumeng Zhang, Qiyu Zhang and Ziheng (Colin) Chen studied fluid management, exploring how to create a computational model for automatic fluid management for all pediatric patients in the Emergency Department. These MDS students also worked to predict a good serum sodium level for each pediatric patient.

Throughout the project, an interdisciplinary mentoring team of CHOC researchers guided the students, helping them better understand how to leverage advanced data science and statistical methodologies to drive healthcare solutions.

“This collaboration is about cultivating a research and innovation culture that recognizes and values diverse contributions, promotes open communication, and nurtures both individual and collective growth,” says Sanger. “Intentionally designing this type of interdisciplinary team is crucial in addressing the complexities of pediatric healthcare challenges.”

The mentorship team was led by Steven Martel, a chief health information officer, pediatrician, and clinical informaticist at CHOC who served as the primary mentor. Louis Ehwerhemuepha, Director of Research Computational Science, and Lois Sayrs, Director of Biostatistics, served as secondary mentors, guiding the students as they worked on the projects.

Building on the foundation of CHOC Research’s mentorship, some of the MDS graduates will continue working on their projects, possibly as they pursue doctoral degrees. “Together, we can bolster innovation and pediatric medical device development,” says Sayrs, noting that a potential “phase 2” would explore medical device development, encompassing engineering, prototyping, testing, and a thorough analysis of ethical and regulatory implications.

An Impactful Partnership

“I continue to be amazed by the incredible talent emerging from UC Irvine’s MDS program,” says Nadine Afari of CHOC, who helps coordinate the partnership with UCI and hopes to eventually develop a “specialized workforce program” focusing on pediatric data science and biostatistics. “The future is reserved for those who possess the ability to connect insights across silos.”

It’s for this reason that the MDS program prioritizes projects that give students the opportunity to apply insights in a practical setting. “CHOC, as an inaugural MDS partner, has helped define our capstone program as one focused on real-world impact, exemplifying our shared dedication to improving lives in Orange County and beyond,” says MDS Program Director Bryan Muñoz. “CHOC’s leadership in applying advanced data science techniques like natural language processing for clinical notes and deep learning to analyze cardio diagrams highlights the strength in our collaboration to tackle critical healthcare challenges. Our continued partnership is testament to the commitment of strengthening the field of health and data science, ensuring our students gain hands-on experience while positively influencing pediatric care.”

To learn more about Research Computational Science at CHOC, MDS faculty and students are invited to attend the Pediatric and Lifespan Data Science Conference on April 10-11, 2025 in Anaheim.

— Shani Murray