Almost everyone has experienced a cavity treatment at the dentist, and being reclined in the patient’s chair with a mouth full of drills and mirrors. The treatment is about to begin – not at the dentist’s office, but in virtual reality. Peter Haddawy, professor at the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) at Mahidol University, has developed a virtual training system for prospective dentists to practice medical procedures. The simulation is authentic down to the last detail. As in real life, the hard tooth enamel provides more resistance to the drill than the softer dentin below it. Students’ eye movements are analyzed with eye tracking, and they receive feedback on whether they are using the mirror correctly. “Programming all of this required a long and concerted effort,” Haddawy sums up. This was greatly aided by his work in a team with Siriwan Suebnukarn, professor of dentistry at Thammasat University in Thailand, and Gabriel Zachmann, professor of computer graphics and virtual reality at the University of Bremen.

The project is representative of Peter Haddawy’s work; combining both medicine and computer science and unifying researchers from different countries is routine for him. His first visit to the University of Bremen was for a research stay in 2016, through a fellowship at the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg in Delmenhorst. He is now an honorary professor of medical informatics here, and holds a number of other positions as well. He became director of the newly founded joint research laboratory for medical informatics in 2018, the Mahidol-Bremen Medical Informatics Research Unit. In 2021, the two universities established a strategic partnership, and Haddawy is a member of the Mahidol-Bremen Board, which continues to maintain and expand this partnership.

For Peter Haddawy, this means spending two to three months each year at the University of Bremen, with additional research stays at the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg. The computer scientist has built up a broad network in both research and teaching within northwest Germany.

Using Edge Computing to Combat Malaria and Dengue Fever

One outcome of his networking is a course he has been conducting for several years with Dr. Thomas Barkowsky, senior researcher in the Cognitive Systems working group, and Anna Förster, professor of communication networks. Their common theme is edge computing, the development of small computers that store and evaluate data without connecting to large servers or clouds. The content of the course has a very practical background and teaches students about research on the spread of diseases such as malaria and dengue fever, which are transmitted by mosquitoes.

Peter Haddawy and Anna Förster are developing a way for computers to record how many and which type of mosquitoes are present within in a particular area. Some mosquitoes only transmit malaria, others only dengue fever, and some spread neither of the two diseases. Currently, counting and classifying of mosquitoes is still done using mechanical traps and manual evaluation – methods from the 1960s. “Edge computers could be used to collect and evaluate data on a large scale for the first time,” explains Peter Haddawy. This would help to better predict outbreaks as well as aid the planning for necessary medical treatment.

An App for Detecting Diseases Early

These computers will of course not help after people have been infected. However, the computer scientist is developing other tools for such situations. “Especially in rural areas of Thailand, hospitals are often not well equipped to assist people with dengue symptoms,” he says. Peter Haddawy started a project with Thomas Barkowsky and some of his students to enable an easier diagnosis of diseases. They developed an app in which medical staff can enter a patient’s medical information, including the duration of the fever, nausea, muscle pain, and platelet count. The app then automatically determines the likelihood that dengue fever could be behind the symptoms.

But dengue comes in many forms. While some recover from fever, rash, and muscle pain after a week, others develop severe dengue with hemorrhagic fever, and this can have life-threatening consequences. Based on the health data entered, the app can determine the likelihood of a severe infection for the respective patient. This makes it easier for physicians to decide who should stay in the clinic for observation. “I was impressed by the high level of the German students’ programming skills,” Peter Haddawy sums up. “The app is really remarkable.” It has proven itself in practice, and is already in use at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Bangkok. According to Haddawy, it is particularly helpful in areas without prior dengue fever outbreaks, since the early symptoms are similar to those of other febrile illnesses. At some future date, it could be used in Germany as well, as cases of illness are increasing here due to climate change.

Strategic Partnership with Mahidol University Benefits Students

The project shows how students are already benefiting from the strategic partnership between the two universities. There are many additional examples of the partnership’s success. For example, Mahidol University offers German courses to prepare students for a stay in Germany. Around twelve students come to Bremen every year for research internships. The Christian Freksa scholarship is currently being set up for doctoral researchers from Thailand, and is named after the now deceased Bremen computer science professor who was instrumental in initiating the partnership between the two universities. German students also have the opportunity to go to Thailand for a semester abroad or a research project. This may lead to some of them pursuing an international career like the one Peter Haddawy has established.