Precise Advanced Technologies and Health Systems for Underserved Populations

Chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Every 30 seconds one American will be diagnosed with diabetes and another will suffer a coronary event. These diseases are a burden in underserved communities across the United States due to higher prevalence and reduced access to care. Overcoming this human and economic burden is a grand challenge. The vision of the NSF-ERC on Precise Advanced Technologies and Health Systems for Underserved Populations (PATHS-UP) is to change the paradigm for the health of underserved populations by developing revolutionary, cost-effective technologies and systems at the point-of-care (POC). Led by Dr. Gerard Cote at Texas A&M University in partnership with the University of California at Los Angeles, Rice University, and Florida International University, PATHS-UP brings outstanding expertise to overcome four barriers endemic to POC devices, the need to: be field deployable, have high accuracy, have low complexity, and be affordable.
The mission of PATHS-UP is defined by two overarching goals:

• To engineer transformative, robust and affordable technologies to improve healthcare access, enhance the quality of service and life, and reduce healthcare costs.
• To recruit and educate a diverse group of scientists and engineers who will lead the future in developing enabling technologies to improve health in underserved communities.