Year 2 Awardees
Developing an AI Companion Prototype for Homebound Adults
This project aims to address the epidemic of loneliness and social isolation in the United States (US) among homebound older adults. The interdisciplinary team and community partner (Connectedly©) propose developing an AI companion with input from the end users to determine what the prototype would look like and how it would function. In a multi-phase project, the objective is to develop an AI companion prototype for homebound older adults.

Community Lead
Marypat Tracy, MSW, LCSW
Executive Director
Connectedly

Nursing Lead
Lea Ann Matura, PhD, RN, FAAN
Associate Professor of Nursing

Engineering Lead
Insup Lee, PhD
Cecilia Fitler Moore Professor of Computer and Information Science

Engineering Co-Lead
Oleg Sokolsky, PhD
Research Professor of Computer and Information Science
Community Site
Connectedly has a 40 year history of creating social connections for underserved and vulnerable older Philadelphians by strengthening community support networks, reducing social isolation, and improving the well-being of older adults, especially women and their families.
Project Updates
LCH Community Health Center Patient Engagement: A Collaboration Exploring Digital Determinants of Health for Promoting Health Equity
The objective of this Phase 1 formative work project is to use a mixed method design to quantitatively and qualitatively explore digital determinants of health (DDoHs) at the individual, interpersonal, community, and societal levels. In collaboration with LCH Health and Community Services, this study incorporates a digital environment domain to understand health disparities across the lifespan. Findings may inform the development and testing of culturally and linguistically tailored digital health tools to optimize patient health outcomes in a predominantly farm working community.

Community Lead
Margarita Garay-Zarco
Director of Human Resources
LCH Community Health Center

Nursing Lead
Adriana Perez, PhD, ANP-BC, FAAN
Anthony Buividas Term Chair Gerontology
Associate Professor of Nursing

Nursing Co-Lead
Carmen Alvarez PhD, CRNP, CNM, FAAN
Associate Professor of Nursing

Engineering Lead
Damon Centola, PhD
Elihu Katz Professor of Communication, Sociology and Engineering
Community Site
LCH‘s mission is to improve the health and well-being of people and communities by providing high quality healthcare, resources, and social services. LCH sets the highest possible standard for community health and wellness by creating and sustaining the resources, conditions, and opportunities that enable all LCH patients and community members to experience their optimal health and wellness.works to improve life outcomes for community members of the North Philadelphia Hunting Park-East Tioga community so current residents and future generations live happy, healthy, and civically engaged lives. They work with their neighbors to address issues of systemic violence, poverty, and disinvestment that have induced trauma, built barriers, and challenged the health and prosperity of this community. Taking a holistic approach, North10 is striving to make impactful change not only by delivering high-quality programs and services in response to stated community preferences, but also by serving as the community backbone.
Project Updates
Building a Virtual AI Platform for Finger Exercise to Increase Exercise Accessibility and Social Interaction for Older Adults with Disabilities
This proposal aims to develop and test an AI-driven virtual platform for finger exercise, designed to enhance health and well-being in older adults with disabilities by providing real-time monitoring and interactive group sessions, making exercise accessible, engaging, and sustainable.

Community Lead
Rose Richardson
Executive Director
LCFS’s West Philadelphia Senior Community Center

Nursing Lead
Jianghong Liu, PhD, RN, FAAN
Marjorie O. Rendell
Endowed Professor in Healthy Transitions
Professor of Nursing

Engineering Lead
Jianbo Shi, PhD
Professor of Computer and Information Science
Community Site
West Philadelphia Senior Community Center, WPSCC, is a program under the Lutheran Children and Family Service. They are driven by their dedication to the well-being and choices of the older adults they serve — with each individual’s unique preferences accommodated by the variety of different avenues provided to age successfully, maintain health, nurture inspiration, build resiliency, and/or renew hope. As a faith-based organization, Liberty Lutheran also partners with churches across eastern Pennsylvania to bring the love, hope and peace of Christ to those who are vulnerable.mission is to improve the health and well-being of people and communities by providing high quality healthcare, resources, and social services.
Project Updates
Year 1 Awardees
Heat Islands
This project aims to address the problem of urban heat stress in the Hunting Park / East Tioga area of Philadelphia. This pilot work will include the development and construction of a prototype for a cooling shelter that can be integrated into local bus stops in areas that people use regularly.

Nikki Bagby
Chief External Affairs Officer
North10 Philadelphia

Sara Jacoby, MPH, MSN, PhD, FAAN
Associate Professor of Nursing

Paulo Arratia, PhD
Professor of Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics

Dorit Aviv, PhD, AIA
Assistant Professor of Architecture at the Weitzman School of Design
Community Site
North10, Philadelphia works to improve life outcomes for community members of the North Philadelphia Hunting Park-East Tioga community so current residents and future generations live happy, healthy, and civically engaged lives. They work with their neighbors to address issues of systemic violence, poverty, and disinvestment that have induced trauma, built barriers, and challenged the health and prosperity of this community. Taking a holistic approach, North10 is striving to make impactful change not only by delivering high-quality programs and services in response to stated community preferences, but also by serving as the community backbone.
Project Updates
Smoothie Bike
The Smoothie Bike Project is a collaboration that engages Penn students, local high school students, and Netter Center staff in re-purposing used bikes and used blenders into educational and joyful kid-powered smoothie making machines.

Daniel Merin, MS
Rebel Ventures Board Chairperson

Monique Dowd, EdD, RD, LDN
Advanced Senior Lecturer of Nutrition Science
Associate Director of Undergraduate Nutrition Programs, School of Nursing

Dustyn Roberts, PE, PhD
Practice Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics
Community Site
Rebel Ventures is a youth-driven healthy food business run by high school students and supported by Penn students that includes a non-profit business entity. At its core it is an educational activity. Students learn about the food system by competing in the real-world competitive food marketplace – the pedagogy is deep engagement through projects, problem-solving, and partnership. To examine these issues the Rebel Crew researches, shares knowledge, seeks out expertise, and makes decisions democratically.
Project Updates
Digital Healing: Co-Creating Youth Digital Creative Arts Space for Community Wellbeing
Digital Healing is a web-based platform, which will be co-designed and co-developed as an AI-driven culturally responsive youth digital co-creative arts space for community healing in partnership with youth-led organization called Creative Resilient Youth (CRY) in Philadelphia.

Andrea Ngan
Co-Director
Creative Resilient Youth (CRY)

Siva Mathiyazhagan, PhD, MSW
Research Assistant Professor
School of Social Policy and Practice

Sharath Chandra Guntuku, PhD
Research Assistant Professor of
Computer & Information Science

Seul Ki Choi, PhD, MPH
Research Assistant Professor
School of Nursing
Community Site
CRY is an intergenerational collective promoting equitable mental health care by realizing youth-led models of care through co-learning, socially engaged art, and leadership training. CRY envisions a future where every young person has the healing resources and skills needed to: Access their authentic selves to define and communicate care for themselves on their own terms; Influence how mental health is talked about and cared for in their peer group, families, and communities, and other youth-serving spaces; and create tools to address injustices in youth mental health care systems
Project Updates
Re-Imagining Childhood Asthma and Electronic Health Records: A Community-Based Approach
Asthma is a major non-communicable disease affecting children, especially those from marginalized communities, because of limited access to information. This project will explore how medical information systems can be improved to provide better care for young, marginalized asthma patients.

Sonya Sanders
Community Organizer
Philly Thrive

Kenrick Cato, PhD, RN, CPHIMS, FAAN
Professor of Nursing CE

Andrew Head, PhD
Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Science

Aviv Landau, PhD, MSW
Research Assistant Professor
School of Social Policy and Practice
Community Site
Philly Thrive won the permanent closure of the South Philly oil refinery, ending 150 years of deadly pollution. Now Philly Thrive organizes to protect affordable housing and fight displacement of Grays Ferry residents, and to win a robust cleanup of the refinery site, family sustaining jobs, and community-reinvestment as the historic refinery redevelopment progresses.
Project Updates
The impact of land care in North Tioga-East Huntington Neighborhood of Philadelphia: Building occupational and public safety into North10’s neighborhood beautification initiatives
The focus of this project is to create a tool to assist in removing debris to improve the wellbeing of the community and individuals in the North Tioga neighborhoods.

Avarisse Crawford
Chief of Staff
North10 Philadelphia

Sara Jacoby, MPH, MSN, PhD, FAAN
Associate Professor of Nursing

Devin Carroll, PhD
Lecturer
Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics
Community Site
North10, Philadelphia works to improve life outcomes for community members of the North Philadelphia Hunting Park-East Tioga community so current residents and future generations live happy, healthy, and civically engaged lives. They work with their neighbors to address issues of systemic violence, poverty, and disinvestment that have induced trauma, built barriers, and challenged the health and prosperity of this community. Taking a holistic approach, North10 is striving to make impactful change not only by delivering high-quality programs and services in response to stated community preferences, but also by serving as the community backbone.