UC Irvine Data Science Students Partner with CHOC Research, Now Part of Rady Children’s Health, to Develop Personalized Pediatric Dehydration Management Solutions

Innovative collaboration applies advanced analytics to improve treatment outcomes for pediatric patients

By CHOC Research

UC Irvine Data Science students successfully completed a project “Personalizing Dehydration Management in Pediatrics” in partnership with CHOC Research, now part of Rady Children’s Health, to develop personalized approaches for pediatric dehydration management. The 20-week collaboration demonstrates the transformative potential of academic clinical partnerships in advancing pediatric healthcare through data science innovation. The student research team developed an advanced statistical approach to analyze unique patient subgroups and treatment effects on hydration management. The primary objective was to analyze treatment data across different patient groups in order for clinicians to craft more personalized dehydration treatment.

Key Findings and Clinical Impact

The research yielded three significant outcomes: successful clustering into unique patient groups, identification of treatment management effects across subpopulations, and detailed analysis of treatment responses. The team accomplished these objectives using free software on 2023-2024 emergency department data. Future applications include further cluster refinement to define more action-specific groups, profile blending for optimized treatment configurations, and potential development of automated treatment management applications.

Leadership and Mentorship

The initiative was co-led by Steven Martel, MD, Chief Health Information Officer, pediatrician, and clinical informaticist at CHOC, now part of Rady Children’s Health. Lois Sayrs, PhD, Director of Biostatistics at CHOC, served as mentor, guiding students throughout the project development. “CHOC’s expertise and UC Irvine’s talent in advanced data science methodologies demonstrates our collaboration’s strategic value in addressing critical healthcare challenges,” states Dr. Lois Sayrs.

“Our students are gaining invaluable experience applying cutting edge techniques like natural language processing and deep learning to real-world clinical problems,” states Sharad Mehrotra, PhD, Distinguished Professor of computer science, Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, UC Irvine.

“This collaboration creates a unique learning environment where statistical rigor meets clinical innovation, preparing the next generation of health data scientists,” adds Babak Shahbaba, PhD, professor of statistics, UC Irvine.

“Working with CHOC Research, now a part of Rady Children’s Heath was an incredible opportunity to apply data science in a meaningful way. I was responsible for building and refining machine learning models to uncover patterns in pediatric patient data, with the goal of supporting more personalized dehydration treatments. Our regression models provided a solid baseline for understanding drug effects, and the process gave me valuable insight into how data-driven methods can be integrated into healthcare challenges,” shared Fay Alrumaihi, Undergraduate Research Assistant, UC Irvine Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences.

Student Perspectives

“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to contribute to work that has real potential to improve patient outcomes. By exploring ways to personalize dehydration treatment, I was able to see firsthand how data science can support the important work being done at CHOC,” said Jamie Tevis, B.S. in Data Science, UC Irvine. “This experience gave me a glimpse into the meaningful impact that careful analysis and collaboration can have in a clinical setting.”

Colin Yee, B.S. in Data Science, UC Irvine, emphasized the practical value of the experience: “Working with CHOC Research offered opportunities we would never have had at school. I was very intrigued with how data science can be used in healthcare. I was able to learn a lot about how data was collected in hospitals, medical standards such as ICD-10 codes, and how different drugs affected a patient’s vitals over time. What resonated most was being able to use my data science skills for good.”

Strategic Partnership Vision

“I am consistently impressed by the exceptional caliber of talent from UC Irvine’s Data Science program,” states Nadine Afari, CHOC Research, who facilitates strategic partnerships with UC Irvine and other academic institutions. “The future belongs to leaders who can synthesize insights across academic boundaries.”

About the Organizations

CHOC Research, now part of Rady Children’s Health, is dedicated to advancing pediatric healthcare through innovative research and clinical applications. The organization focuses on translating cutting edge research into improved patient outcomes for children and families.

UC Irvine’s Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences offers comprehensive data science programs that prepare students to address complex real-world challenges through advanced analytical methodologies and interdisciplinary collaboration.

This partnership represents a model for academic clinical collaboration, demonstrating how data science innovation can directly impact pediatric patient care while providing students with meaningful real-world experience in healthcare applications.