Graduate Life

Thesis

I completed my PhD dissertation in the Computer Science department at the Johns Hopkins University. My dissertation presented machine learning frameworks that analyzed surgical performance data to deliver automated coaching. My dissertation titled "Automated Virtual Coach for Surgical Training" can be found here.

People

My PhD advisor was Prof. Gregory Hager from Computer Science.

My thesis committee included:

  • Prof. Russell H. Taylor Ph.D., Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University
  • Prof. Carla M. Pugh M.D. Ph.D., Surgery, University of Wisconsin - Madison (presently at Stanford University),
  • Prof. Chi Chiung Grace Chen M.D. M.H.S., Gynecology & Obstetrics, JHU, and
  • Prof. S. Swaroop Vedula M.B.B.S. Ph.D., Malone Center for Engineering in Healthcare, JHU.

I worked with clinical collaborators from multiple surgical departments at the medical school including gynecology, urology, otolaryngology - head and neck surgery, and general surgery.

Within the engineering school I worked in the Language of Surgery team which included Prof. Sanjeev Khudanpur (Electrical and Computer Engineering) and Prof. Rene Vidal (Biomedical Engineering).

Community Participation and Outreach

I was part of the Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics (LCSR) and the Computational Interaction and Robotics Laboratory (CIRL) group for my research activities. I led many educational tours and sessions about the medical robotics projects happening at Hopkins engineering. The audiences varied from middle school students to prospective graduate students, and from visiting parents of students to advisory and trustee board members for the university.

In extracurricular activities, I was a lighting designer for the JHU Barnstormers theater group for a few productions in 2014 and 2015. I played as the forward wing for the Club Field Hockey team at Hopkins from 2011 to 2015. I was actively involved in the Indian Graduate Students Association activities during my graduate school and served as their Cultural Chair for a year to organize events celebrating the Indian festivals and traditions.

I was a volunteer and judge at the JHU Robo Challenge from 2011 to 2013. This contest is organized by students at LCSR for high school students interested in robotics. I volunteered at the JHU President's Day of Service from 2011 to 2014 on day long activities to serve the community in the Baltimore City and County regions.