Matthias Goerges: Associate Professor at Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, UBC Faculty of Medicine

Matthias Görges is a Principal Investigator at the Research Institute, BC Children’s Hospital, where he co-leads the Clinical & Community Data, Analytics & Informatics group. He is a biomedical engineer with extensive clinical research experience, and an Associate Professor (Partner) in the Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics department at the University of British Columbia. As part of an inter-disciplinary team of engineers, computer scientists, and health care providers, he is involved in a wide range of projects focusing on the development and application of new technologies in the pediatric anesthesia and intensive care setting. His research interests are patient monitoring alarms, medical displays, decision support systems, mobile health applications, and data integration/communication platforms. Matthias’ goal is to extract clinically-useful information from vital signs and other clinical data, and to transform these data into information for better, more timely, and more efficient decision-making by clinicians.

Research Methodology

Predictive analytics

mHealth / mobile app development

participatory design

System engineering

Usability testing

Statistical modeling

Decision support

Patient-Oriented Research

Recruitment

Looking to recruit:

Master's students

Doctoral students

Postdoctoral Fellows

Desired start dates:

2026

2027

Potential research project areas:

The introduction of information technology in medicine has enabled a transformational change in recent decades. The coronavirus pandemic further accelerated the introduction of virtual care and digital health solutions. Thus, most of my work focuses on designing, implementing, and evaluating ways that leverage technology to improve patient-relevant outcomes.

Clinical context is essential, as understanding the real-world setting where technical innovations are applied is crucial in any engineering discipline. I collaborate with medical experts, including nurses and physicians across several disciplines, engineers, data scientists, and patients and their families, to solve real-world problems. I believe it is essential to appreciate a) that technology supports and enables people, b) we need to integrate data from a wide variety of sources to generate meaningful information to guide decision-making, c) good usability is vital to workflow, and d) high levels of situational awareness are required to ensure patient safety.

My research program focuses on two key objectives:

Digital health platforms: Develop a research data integration and exchange platform that leverages data from multiple sources, including patient-generated health data and patient-reported outcomes. It will enable (future) linking against electronic medical record data.
Applications for predictive analytics: Design and implement outcome prediction pipelines that integrate and analyze clinical, patient-provided, and physiological data and create risk stratification models using statistical and machine learning techniques. This is primarily focusing on pediatric anesthesia and pediatric critical care.

Previously, I also worked on a) data displays for clinical decision support, b) vital signs collection infrastructure, and c) closed-loop control of anesthesia.

Ideal Applicant Profile:

I consider trainees with biomedical engineering or clinical informatics backgrounds, as my program focuses on predictive analytics and digital health applications in Biomedical Engineering. I occasionally recruit trainees in Experimental Medicine for digital health research projects. Pharmacology is too far from my research interests and core training; therefore, I do NOT recruit Pharmacology students.

Next, it is helpful for you to outline which projects you are interested in and why you are an excellent fit for my program. Finally, a CV makes it easier for me to assess your suitability as a candidate, so please include this (and, ideally, a transcript and, if applicable, English test scores) with your application as you contact me.

Other options:

I support experiential learning experiences, such as internships and work placements, for my graduate students and Postdocs.

I am open to hosting Visiting International Research Students (non-degree, up to 12 months).

I am interested in hiring Co-op students for research placements.

I am interested in supervising students to conduct interdisciplinary research.

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Theses completed in 2010 or later are listed below. Please note that there is a 6-12 month delay to add the latest theses.

Mental health support for adolescents living with type 1 diabetes: insights for modifications of the reachout nexgen mobile application (2024)

Background: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is associated with various psychological struggles, making the management of this condition even more challenging. Integrating digitally enabled peer support interventions into diabetes care may improve mental health outcomes, such as diabetes distress. Objective: The objectives of this study are three-fold: (1) to examine the impact of digitally enabled peer support interventions on mental health outcomes in people living with type 1 diabetes, (2) to explore the mental health support needs of adolescents with T1D, and (3) to elicit feedback for translating REACHOUT, a mobile app originally designed to deliver peer-led mental health support to T1D adults, to meet the unique needs of adolescents with T1D.Methods: For the first objective, we conducted a comprehensive systematic review of the literature on the impact of digitally enabled peer support platforms on mental health outcomes for individuals living with T1D. For the second and third objectives, we utilized focus groups to explore the mental health support needs of adolescents with T1D (from the perspective of adolescents and their parents) and to determine preferences for translating REACHOUT to NexGEN. Results: In the systematic review, out of 3,623 abstracts screened, 34 studies underwent full-text evaluation, and nine were selected for synthesis. Of these, three showed significant reductions in diabetes distress, and two reported improvements in depression. Key factors linked to these outcomes included participatory intervention development, diabetes education, longer duration, theory-based frameworks, and peer mentor involvement.Participants in the focus group were ten adolescents (16 ± 1 years, 80% female) and ten parents (51 ± 7 years, 90% female). Four core themes (with subthemes) emerged, including 1) Experience: Navigating adolescence with T1D; 2) Empowerment: Support systems that enable better management of their T1D; 3) Obstacles: Societal barriers that affect adolescent’s T1D management; and 4) Innovation: Adolescent-driven preferences for virtual peer support platforms. Conclusion: Understanding T1D adolescents' specific support needs is crucial for addressing their emotional and social challenges. Involving them and their parents in tailoring NexGEN to their diabetes management and developmental needs is key. Future research should pilot NexGEN to assess its feasibility and acceptability before evaluative studies.

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