Research scientist to lecture at IHMC in Ocala

Dr. Timothy Broderick. [Photo courtesy IHMC]

On Dec. 10, Dr. Timothy Broderick will be the guest lecturer at the Institute for Human & Machine Cognition in downtown Ocala. He will discuss whether wearable electronic devices and artificial intelligence can really improve one’s health.

Broderick is a chief science officer and senior research scientist with IHMC, which has its headquarters in Pensacola. He helps shape strategy and performs high impact research focused on enhancing human health and performance. He has helped develop advanced biomedical technologies for the Department of Defense, National Aeronautics and Space Administration and global medical device companies.

Prior to joining IHMC, Broderick was a practicing general, trauma and robotic surgeon. He served within the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, where he established multiple high impact programs focused on precision diagnosis and treatment of disease and injury. He has worked within a broad range of technologies, including surgical robots, epigenetic diagnostics and wearable devices.

Broderick was born with an innate inquisitiveness and into a like-minded family.

“I was born and raised a middle child in a large family in Cincinnati, Ohio. There are many, many physicians and nurses in the extended family,” he noted.

As for his early proclivities, he offered that “the description of me as a child varies widely and depends on who and when you asked. My parents described me as ‘cute and loveable as a puppy dog’ when I was a young child and ‘mischievously smart’ as I grew older. As a child, I was inspired by my parents’ love of family and desire to help others. A few seminal events during childhood included watching the Apollo 11 moon landing, my father saving a man’s life at church and helping save a man who had his arm nearly cut off by a machete when I was an ER orderly.”

In addition to American Board of Surgery certification and fellowship in the American College of Surgeons, Broderick’s certifications and experience have earned him recognition as an honorary NASA flight surgeon and NOAA undersea saturation diver. He has been with IHMC in Pensacola for more than five years.

He said he loves “Florida and its inspiring natural beauty. I particularly enjoy relaxing on beaches, fishing and scuba diving. Another passion is travel and hiking the national parks.”

He and his wife Kara have been married for nearly 30 years.

“We have three beautiful children, Erin, Caitlin and Margaret (Maggie), who are spread out across the country in graduate school and college. Our family also includes a great dog named Fergus. We are blessed with a large and close extended family,” he shared.

During his lecture in Ocala, Broderick will ask and answer the question: Why do expensive wearable physiologic monitors fail to deliver on promises that they will improve our health and performance?

The news release announcing the lecture states that, “Surprisingly, the quality of physiological data from wearable devices such as smart watches is relatively poor— and it worsens when you are sick, active or in extreme environments. While security and privacy constrain sharing and remote analysis of these data, processor cores and batteries limit artificial intelligence algorithms that can be used to analyze data on these devices. Finally, available devices do not provide users with actionable information about their health, stress and recovery when they need it most.”

“Ongoing Department of Defense and industry sponsored research at IHMC is pushing beyond these limitations. We highlight development of technologies such as advanced physiological sensors, tactical noninvasive nerve stimulators and novel “e-skin” materials that enable us to successfully assess and augment performance in extreme environments,” the material notes.
The IHMC campus is located at 15 SE Osceola Ave. The lecture will begin with a reception at 5:30 p.m., with the talk commencing at 6 p.m.

The event is free to attend but reservations are encouraged as space is limited. To register, go to ihmc.us/life/evening_lectures/ocala-lecture-series