The Institute of Digital Healthcare were pleased to host a visit from Jim Cunningham MP for Coventry South. Professor Christopher James welcomed Mr Cunningham whose visit had been arranged by the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Panel for Biomedical Engineering.

Mr Cunningham was interested to find out more about the Institute’s activities which include advances in healthcare technology and biomedical engineering. He enjoyed detailed discussions with academics working within these fields and also had the opportunity to participate in some healthcare technology demonstrations. These included informatics, Professor Vinesh Raja’s research looking at enhancing user experience with a range of technologies to support social and cognitive activities. Professor Christopher James presented his research on neural engineering and specifically brain computer interfacing and also Dr James Harte demonstrated, via an acoustic vocoder simulation, the current difficulties facing cochlear implant users to natural communication in challenging auditory environments. A cochlear implant is a neurosensory prosthetic surgically implanted in the inner ear, able to restore some auditory function to the severe or profoundly deaf.

Mr Cunningham said of his visit “I have found the demonstrations fascinating and am pleased to see the advancements being made here at the Institute of Digital Healthcare. This really shows how far Coventry is advancing in modern medical technology. You can really see how this is replacing more traditional healthcare methods. This is not just about illness this is about wellness and expanding life expectancy. I can foresee that this will pave the way for new industries providing technology benefits and creating new jobs.”

Professor Christopher James comments “I was very pleased to receive Mr Cunningham to the IDH in order to demonstrate how biomedical engineering is going long ways to enabling better care and treatment of patients. My team and I were able to demonstrate how the introduction of novel digital technologies can be of use outside of the hospital, both for treatment of those with chronic conditions, as well as for maintaining wellness. ”