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Duke Professor Receives IEEE EMBS Early Career Achievement Award for Wearable Technology Research

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Jessilyn Dunn, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering and biostatistics and bioinformatics at Duke University, has received the Early Career Achievement Award from the Institute of Electronics and Engineer's (IEEE) Engineering Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) for her innovative research in wearable technology and digital biomarkers for disease. As the director of the Duke BIG IDEAs Lab, Dunn explores the potential of wearable devices like smartwatches and fitness trackers to identify subtle signs of diseases such as heart disease, COVID-19, diabetes, and the flu. Her research aims to transform abstract biometric data into actionable health insights, providing a new approach to disease diagnosis and prevention.

Key Takeaways:

  • Jessilyn Dunn received the Early Career Achievement Award from the IEEE EMBS for her contributions to biomedical engineering through innovative research design, product development, patents, or publications.
  • As the director of the Duke BIG IDEAs Lab, Dunn and her team investigate the use of wearable technologies like smartwatches and fitness trackers to identify digital biomarkers for diseases.
  • The lab focuses on gathering data from wearable devices and pairing it with clinical data to predict when individuals may be at risk of developing certain diseases.
  • Dunn noted that health data often shows subtle signs of disease progression before a heart attack or other severe event, highlighting the potential of wearable technologies to provide early warning signs.
  • The accuracy of wearable devices is influenced by their quality, and Dunn's team explores new methods to assess and improve the accuracy of these technologies.
  • Dunn received an NSF CAREER Award in 2024 to address data bias and drift, which can affect the accuracy of biosignal algorithms.
  • The Duke BIG IDEAs Lab aims to provide healthcare tools to individuals who may not have easy access to standard healthcare, leveraging the potential of wearable devices to improve public health.
  • Dunn expressed her honor at receiving the 2025 IEEE EMBS Early Career Achievement Award and looks forward to continuing her research efforts and collaborating with the IEEE community.

Statistics:

  • 2025: The year in which Jessilyn Dunn received the IEEE EMBS Early Career Achievement Award.
  • 2024: The year in which Dunn received an NSF CAREER Award to address data bias and drift in biosignal algorithms.
  • 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: The time period during which health-related events occur, highlighting the need for continuous monitoring and early intervention.

Sources:

  • Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University
  • Institute of Electronics and Engineer's (IEEE) Engineering Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS)
  • NSF (National Science Foundation)

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