Dr. Dong Li Receives a Distinguished Paper Award for Advancing Earbud-Based Arterial Health Monitoring

Dr. Dong Li, Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering (CSEE) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), has received a Distinguished Paper Award from the Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies (IMWUT) for his research on earbud-based arterial health monitoring.

ACM IMWUT is a leading international publication in ubiquitous computing, mobile systems, and wearable technologies. The Distinguished Paper Award recognizes outstanding research contributions in this field.

The award-winning research explores how everyday earbuds can be transformed into accessible tools for cardiovascular health monitoring. By leveraging acoustic sensing and advanced signal processing techniques, the research investigates how physiological information related to arterial health can be captured using ear-worn devices. This approach has the potential to enable convenient, noninvasive cardiovascular assessments outside traditional clinical environments.

The work represents an important step toward making cardiovascular health monitoring more accessible through widely available consumer electronics. Rather than relying exclusively on specialized medical equipment, the research envisions a future in which everyday wearable devices can support more frequent and personalized health assessments.

Dr. Li's research at UMBC focuses on mobile and wearable sensing, acoustic sensing, and intelligent healthcare technologies. His group develops innovative sensing systems that leverage smartphones, earbuds, and other consumer devices to make health monitoring more accessible, affordable, and practical in everyday life.

This international recognition highlights UMBC CSEE's growing contributions to mobile health, wearable computing, and interdisciplinary research at the intersection of computing and healthcare.