This text is part of the TÉLUQ University special notebook
Research is doing well at TÉLUQ University, which has developed, over the past few years, lines of research related to major social, economic, human and scientific issues of our time.
The main areas of research at TÉLUQ University cast a wide net, ranging from teaching and learning in the digital age and mediatization, to intelligent systems and information science and technology, to the functioning of people , their life course, human thought and interpersonal relationships, as well as social, organizational and professional transformations in the context of internationalization, computerization and multiculturalism.
Other areas are emerging or under development, namely communications and culture in the digital age; management of intellectual property, knowledge and intangible assets; health and safety at work as well as entrepreneurship, which, in turn, support innovation and the deployment of knowledge by students and researchers alike.
The latter are also involved in three Canada Research Chairs, namely in media education and human rights, in ethical judgment and in the analysis of biomedical data, which ensure, each in its own way, the development of knowledge to better guide human intervention.
Ethical judgment
At the Canada Research Chair in Ethical Judgment, we look at concrete and current issues raised by health care, such as voluntary termination of pregnancy, consent to care or vaccination in the context of a pandemic. Many students from here and elsewhere contribute to the work of this Chair of international scope, which has collaborators and projects on three continents, notably in the United States, France, Spain and several African countries.
When we talk about ethics, we are talking about value judgments, which often come into conflict, argues Lonzozou Kpanake, professor in the Department of Human Sciences, Letters and Communication and holder of the Chair. “Psychology has tools and methodologies that allow us to study this judgment. Our contribution is to provide this psychological know-how for an empirical study of ethics that I would describe as unprecedented. It is a pragmatic ethic, which cannot be isolated from its context. We care about the issues facing health care providers. In Guinea, in particular, we studied to what extent a doctor has the legal obligation to treat a patient infected with Ebola, knowing that he is risking his own life. We have also worked on ethical issues related to humanitarian interventions in Haiti. »
Ethical questions arise in the context of public and population health, as well as in the clinical context, that is to say patient care, adds the professor. “In the clinical field, for example, the questions are to find a balance between progress in medicine, human suffering and respect for the patient’s autonomy. A good example is that of physician-assisted suicide. We also worked on the allocation of rare medical resources to patients, such as certain types of drugs or organs for transplantation. »
Analysis of biomedical data
The Canada Research Chair in Biomedical Data Analysis is studying various medical data, such as blood sugar levels, using artificial intelligence to help clinicians make decisions.
“More and more tools are used to collect information on patients,” says Neila Mezghani, professor in the Department of Science and Technology and holder of the Chair. Doctors need these analyzes to make decisions, because they end up with files containing thousands of parameters and multidimensional data. Artificial intelligence is used to develop decision support systems. Developing these systems requires representative and diverse data from enough individuals in the population. »
Among the research projects of this Chair are knee pathologies. The researcher and her team are developing an application for modeling the biomechanical data of the knee to aid in diagnosis and treatment. “Based on data from several types of patients, the system is trained to recognize pathologies and establish the most suitable treatment plan for a patient, based on everything it has memorized from previous data. ‘other patients,’ explains the principal researcher.
In her work, she is mainly interested in physiological data and biomechanical data. It works in particular with industrial partners who provide it with data collected, for example, with connected textiles, to develop various systems.
“For example, we can monitor an elderly person who is at risk of falling. With a connected object, I developed a fall detection system. If a fall occurs, a signal will be sent to the caregivers and, while waiting for help to arrive, we will already have the person’s data, such as their vital signs. This quickly obtained data can then allow healthcare professionals to make the best decisions for the patient.
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