Great to meet you and thank you for sharing more information about your role in PROTEIN.
Why did you decide to participate in this project?
We were invited to contribute our nutrition expertise and it seemed too good an opportunity to miss – a chance to work with a diverse group of partners across Europe to develop an exciting and dynamic application which has the potential to really change people’s lives and help them achieve a healthier future.
The PROTEIN project is at the cutting edge of computer technology and digital health, something the University of Surrey is passionate about, and we are privileged to be part of this.
What do you aim to achieve through your contribution?
An accessible, dynamic and novel health application for a wide range of users, from healthy adults and adolescents through to those living with chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, which will make the challenge of making healthy and sustainable diet and lifestyle choices easier.
This, in turn, aims to improve public health by providing a cost effective alternative to face to face appointments with a health professional and an engaging option for many different users over an extended period of time.
Tell us about the role of WP3 in the project.
We are leading work package 3 of the PROTEIN project, which involves the collation of expert knowledge from the clinical and academic WP3 partners to create a database of nutrition and physical activity ‘rules’ and recommendations which will underpin the PROTEIN system. This work package will directly feed into the artificial intelligence system by providing specific relations and ontologies for both nutrition and physical activity. We will also be running pilot studies in two separate user groups to test the feasibility and usability of the novel health application at two stage in the project.
What are going to be the most exciting challenges?
Working within a technology-based EU project, which brings together experts from areas as diverse as computer programming and diabetes! Finding a common technical ‘language’ and ensuring the aims of all partners are met will be a challenge but one we are enjoying tackling!
On a practical basis co-ordinating parallel pilot studies across Europe with our WP3 partners and navigating the differing ethical and legal regulations in each country will be a challenge and a huge learning experience for us all.
What can we expect to see in the first year?
WP3 have already produced the first version of the knowledge tracker and the user profile which will underpin the first version of the system.
The next step will be to design and run the feasibility studies for the phase 1 testing and report back to the consortium on how the application has been received by users.
Dr. Saskia Wilson-Barnes, postdoc.
Dr. Kathryn Hart, PI.
Prof. Sue Lanham-New, PI and Head of Department.
Dr. Simon Hadfield, CI.