A&M-Texarkana Professor Dr. Bo Gou Part of Research Collaboration Receiving $100,000 Grant to Improve Safe Use of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Settings

TEXARKANA, Texas - Texas A&M University-Texarkana will play a pivotal role in a collaborative research project aimed at improving the safe use of artificial intelligence in healthcare for patients living with chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The project is being funded by a $100,000 Early-Stage Research Development Grant from The Texas A&M University System's Research Excellence Fund (REF). The REF was established to encourage research collaborations among Texas A&M University System members that focus on state and national priorities and high-return investments that create long-term research advantages.

This collaboration brings together researchers from Texas A&M University-Texarkana, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Tarleton State University, Texas A&M University, and Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Researchers are working to develop a new AI platform that helps patients make informed health decisions while giving healthcare providers greater insight into how AI-generated information is influencing patient care.

Serving as Co-Primary Investigator, Texas A&M University-Texarkana Assistant Professor of Computer Science Dr. Bo Guo will lead the design, development, and technical testing of the project's AI platform. Drawing on his expertise in artificial intelligence and software engineering, Guo will oversee the creation of the system's underlying architecture and ensure the platform is secure, reliable, and user-friendly for both patients and healthcare professionals.

Unlike general-purpose AI tools that operate independently of healthcare providers, the research team is developing a governed AI system designed specifically for healthcare settings. The platform will provide patients with evidence-based guidance while incorporating safeguards that encourage users to provide complete health information and alert them when medical attention may be needed. At the same time, clinicians will receive summaries of patient interactions with the AI, helping them better understand concerns, symptoms, and questions before appointments without adding to their documentation workload.

At Texas A&M University-Texarkana, Guo's work will focus on translating these concepts into a robust software platform capable of supporting future clinical research that could lead to real-world healthcare applications. The university's contribution will include system architecture, software development, usability testing, and technical validation to ensure the platform performs reliably while also protecting patient privacy.

"This project addresses a growing challenge. Patients increasingly use large language models such as ChatGPT for health-related questions, but general-purpose systems may provide generic, incomplete, or poorly grounded responses," said Dr. Guo. "Our project will develop a patient-centered conversational system that uses patient-approved information to generate safer, more personalized, and better-grounded responses, while helping clinicians review relevant information more efficiently and keeping them in control of medical decision-making."

"I would like to congratulate Dr. Guo for being part of the research team that has received this Research Excellence Fund Grant from The Texas A&M University System," said A&M-Texarkana President Dr. Ross Alexander. "These grants are highly competitive, and this kind of research is critical to our shared goal of elevating the research profile of Texas A&M University-Texarkana."

"Congratulations to Dr. Bo Guo on this outstanding recognition from The Texas A&M University System," said Dr. Kris Maillacheruvu, Dean of the College of Engineering and Computing at A&M-Texarkana. "Dr. Guo's research award exemplifies our commitment to research excellence, collaboration, and growing the University's research enterprise."

The project also provides valuable opportunities for graduate students to participate in cutting-edge research involving artificial intelligence, software engineering, healthcare technology, and human-centered system design. Students will gain hands-on experience supporting software development, testing, data collection, and system evaluation while working alongside researchers from multiple Texas A&M System institutions.