USC's Virtual Clinic with Holographic Technology Emerges as the Next Frontier in Digital Healthcare

Five months ago, when we met with Dr. Leslie Saxon, Executive Director of the Center for Body Computing at the University of Southern California, she was testing her “Virtual Doctor” project using her own digital twin. Now, enhanced with video hologram technology, the project is ready for launch.

Dr. Leslie Saxon

In a recent interview, Saxon stated that virtual humans, virtual/augmented reality, and artificial intelligence will become “the next frontier of digital health.” At the recent 9th Annual Los Angeles Conference of the Human Data Computing Center, cardiologists from the University of Southern California presented this technology to attendees.

At the core is what Saxon calls the “virtual medical clinic.” It resembles telemedicine, but with one key difference: patients do not communicate with real doctors via devices; instead, they interact with virtual avatars of physicians, including their own primary care providers. “You can freely choose your doctor,” Saxon explains, “or you may be assigned a random physician representative, which is simply part of the ‘toolkit.’”

Virtual doctors are backed by clinical decision support systems. Some may scoff at the notion that such virtual doctors lack the human element present in traditional consultations; however, a recent report from the U.S. Institute of Medicine indicates that diagnostic errors remain prevalent and that physicians’ medical decision-making is often influenced by personal biases. “If you see a surgeon, they are highly likely to recommend surgical treatment,” says Saxon, whereas virtual doctors discuss with patients the advantages of a range of therapeutic options. “Moreover, physicians can add suitable patient profiles and treatment protocols to their e-clinic prescription formularies.”

Wearable and injectable technologies are no exception. The Human Data Computing Center is collaborating with several companies, including Proteus Digital Health, AliveCor (a manufacturer of mobile monitors), and VSP Global (a vision care company that, as part of Project Genesis, is integrating monitoring devices into eyeglasses).

These technologies have also made possible another strategic initiative that the Human Body Data Computing Center is striving to realize: “Holographic Virtual Healthcare.” Saxon once communicated with a heart disease patient in the form of a hologram.



According to Saxon, the USC Institute for Creative Technologies houses a virtual clinic located in Silicon Beach, a renowned area along the West Los Angeles coast, which is far from the USC Keck School of Medicine in downtown Los Angeles. Saxon stated that she plans to spend her later years there.
“I am fully convinced of the impact this technology will bring; Silicon Beach needs it.”

Additional Information: Silicon Beach, located in the West Los Angeles metropolitan area, is home to more than 500 tech startups, including leading companies such as Google, Yahoo, YouTube, and MySpace. Silicon Beach is the world’s second- or third-largest technology hub.

Compiled by Zhou Yanxun
Editor: Mo Renying