Young scientist pioneer in cutting-edge field

Dr. Pham Huy Hieu has published 50 articles in prestigious national and international scientific journals and conferences. He also has 2 patented technological solutions, 4 national and international awards and medals.

Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and First Secretary of the Central Youth Union Bui Quang Huy presented the 2023 Golden Globe Science and Technology Awards to individuals.

Dr. Hieu is also the head and co-head of 6 scientific research topics and projects, not only domestically but also leading international research projects. According to Google Scholar statistics, his scientific publications on Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare (AI in Medicine) were cited more than 1,100 times after only four years of completing his doctoral program. These contributions are recognized and have influenced the international scientific community. The two research projects on the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in digital healthcare (Digital Health) that Dr. Hieu is most proud of are "VAIPE Solution: Smart Healthcare Monitoring and Support System for Vietnamese People" and "Research and construction of large-scale medical imaging facilities to support the construction of early disease prediction models".

Dr. Pham Huy Hieu, representative of the organizing unit, pressed the button to start the GDSC Hackathon Vietnam 2024 competition.

The VAIPE system was developed by a research team at the VinUni-Illinois Center for Smart Health, VinUni University and colleagues at Hanoi University of Science and Technology. This is a digital health technology that uses artificial intelligence (AI), is low-cost, easy to use and accessible on a large scale to improve public health. This solution is highly appreciated for its new technology, creativity and won the AI Awards 2022 presented by the Ministry of Science and Technology. According to Dr. Pham Huy Hieu, this is the first time that new AI algorithms using graph neural networks and contrastive learning techniques have been introduced to accurately identify drugs from image data and have the ability to detect incorrect prescriptions. The function of automatically identifying drugs through pill images will help search for information (uses, dosages) and recommendations on side effects when using. This feature is expected to help monitor the drug use process to avoid errors. The second advantage is to help doctors access patient health indicators in real time and make necessary recommendations. The system automatically extracts and recognizes information from prescription photos, helping to schedule and manage medication intake. Thereby, users can access timely analysis information about personal health.

Dr. Pham Huy Hieu and students presented their research at the IEEE Statistical Signal Processing Conference held at VinUni University.

The research team has built an AI-integrated mobile platform that allows centralized data collection to form health records, supporting disease treatment management. Indicators such as drug information, heart rate, blood pressure, etc. are collected in real time to help build a large-scale database to serve the development of early warning AI algorithms and monitor disease progression. At the same time, the system also integrates a distributed learning platform that allows the protection of users' personal data. The large and rich data source is open to the scientific community and used as a foundation for policy making and developing public health services to benefit the Vietnamese people. Dr. Pham Huy Hieu said: "In our opinion, smart health and digital health solutions are only truly meaningful when they are easily accessible to everyone, regardless of income level or place of residence. More broadly, advances in science and technology must bring practical benefits to everyone on the largest possible scale."

The young force in the technology and science industry in Vietnam is being built by passionate and talented people.

The VinUni-Illinois Smart Health Research Center is a collaboration between VinUni University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) - USA in the field of biotechnology and data science. This is a project funded by Vingroup Corporation with 13.5 million USD, aiming to build and develop research projects that have a positive impact on human health at low cost and easy access. The project "Research and construction of large-scale medical imaging facilities to support the development of early disease prediction models" aims to collect, standardize and label very large-scale medical imaging facilities to serve the development of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to support lesion localization and early classification of diseases, especially dangerous and common diseases in Vietnam. Dr. “The research team has published five large-scale medical imaging datasets, which are completely open and free to the domestic and international scientific community,” said Pham Huy Hieu. These datasets have been cited and exploited by hundreds of research groups around the world to evaluate the effectiveness of algorithms and data-based machine learning models. Students from technical universities across the country have also used these datasets for their studies and research. This research is part of our efforts to solve Vietnamese problems, while promoting open science and open data.

Dr. Pham Huy Hieu graduated from Hanoi University of Science and Technology in 2015, then continued to do PhD research in computer science at Toulouse University (France) and postdoctoral scholar at UIUC - USA. He returned to Vietnam with the desire to develop and apply research on artificial intelligence in smart healthcare and digital healthcare. Dr. Pham Huy Hieu said: “I think that identifying the right research problem and objectives is extremely important. Pioneering research directions and those associated with community goals will be the driving force for researchers to overcome difficulties, create achievements and make meaningful contributions to society.”

Dr. Pham Huy Hieu, Dr. Nguyen Quy Ha, MSc. Nguyen Thanh Nhan (from left to right) - key developers of VinDr solution - comprehensive medical image analysis applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology.

At the end of 2019, Dr. Pham Huy Hieu returned to Vietnam and worked at the Vingroup Big Data Research Institute as a research expert. Up to now, Dr. Pham Huy Hieu is a lecturer at the Institute of Computer Science and Engineering, Deputy Director of the VinUni-Illinois Smart Health Research Center, and Scientific Director of the Startup Center at VinUni University.

“My expectation is that Vietnam will have a strong generation of young, talented scientists with intelligence and a strong desire to contribute to join the force leading the development of technology and science, especially in key areas that will help shape the future of the country. I also expect the country to have more excellent academic centers where scientists can maximize their research resources. I believe that the role of scientists lies in effectively using the research resources provided to create works and solutions that have influence and positive impacts so that people can have a better life. I see more and more young scientists returning to the country to devote themselves to science and make achievements in research and training. We all have a common belief in the bright future of the country and join hands to contribute to creating that future,” Dr. Hieu shared.

Article: Le Van/Tin Tuc Newspaper Photo: VNA, Provided by the character Presentation: Tue Thy

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