Marian University’s Witchger School of Engineering has been awarded $130,600 from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) to support innovative research in sleep apnea screening.
The funding will support Dr. Ahmed Elwali as he enhances his screening tool for sleep apnea and investigates the relationship between breathing sound characteristics and sleep parameters. His project aims to increase the accuracy of wakefulness screening, improve recording hardware, and identify indicators of sleep quality.
Sleep apnea affects an estimated 30 million Americans — and over 1 billion people worldwide — many of whom remain undiagnosed. By collecting objective breathing sounds, voice samples, and other physiological audio signals, along with physical measurements while patients are awake, Dr. Ahmed’s research could facilitate earlier diagnosis and faster treatment of sleep apnea in underserved populations, reduce healthcare costs, and minimize the risks associated with surgeries that require full anesthesia.
“It’s time to take sleep apnea screening to the next level — advancing both the model and the hardware,” Dr. Elwali said. “Imagine learning valuable insights about your sleep while you’re still awake, in just minutes. This research could help millions sleep better and live more energized, productive lives every day.”
From a broader perspective, Dr. Elwali notes that the human voice reveals more about health than most people realize. “With the right hardware, data analysis, and optimized AI models, we can measure key body metrics and identify features linked to sleep apnea — and sleep health in general,” he said, “enabling earlier treatment and better health outcomes.”
Congratulations to Dr. Elwali on this prestigious award!