Salam Daher

Dr. Salam Daher is an Assistant Professor in Informatics. Her research focuses on using computer graphics, virtual and augmented reality to improve training, especially in the healthcare simulation domain.
During her PhD she developed a new class of augmented reality patient simulators called Physical-Virtual Patients (PVP). The PVP allows healthcare educators to interact with a life-size simulated patient by providing real-time physical tactile cues (e.g. temperature, pulse), auditory cues (e.g. speech, heart sounds), and rich dynamic visual cues such as facial expressions (e.g. pain, emotions) and changes in appearance (e.g. skin color, wounds).
Her expertise and interests include creating 3D synthetic environments (e.g. virtual campus tour), and modeling interactive 3D virtual humans with animated facial expressions, speech, and body language for the purposes of simulation and training in the education, military, and healthcare domains.
Dr. Daher is a multidisciplinary person who loves to combine computing, with engineering, arts, science, languages, and various disciplines to solve real world problems.

Ph.D.; University of Central Florida; Modeling and Simulation; 2018

M.S.; University of Central Florida; Modeling and Simulation; 2015

M.S.; University of Florida; Digital Arts and Science; 2006

B.S.; Lebanese American University; Computer Science; 2004

2022 The SSH 2021 Technology Innovator of the Year Award, Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH)

2018 NCWIT 2018 Collegiate Scholarship Award Winner, National Center for Women and Information Technology

2017 RADM Fred Lewis Postgraduate I/ITSEC Scholarship , IITSEC

2016 Link Fellowship for Modeling and Simulation, Link Foundation

2004 Rhoda Orme Award, Lebanese American University

http://www.salamdaher.net/portfolio/

CS 488 - INDEPENDENT STUDY IN CS

CS 700B - MASTER'S PROJECT

CS 725 - INDEPENDENT STUDY I

IS 489 - INFO UNDERGRAD THESIS RESEARCH

IS 701B - MASTER'S THESIS

CS 701B - MASTER'S THESIS

IS 790A - DOCT DISSERTATION & RES

CS 726 - INDEPENDENT STUDY II

CS 790A - DOCT DISSERTATION & RES

IS 700B - MASTER'S PROJECT

IS 776 - IS RESEARCH STUDY

IS 726 - INDEPENDENT STUDY II

IS 792 - PRE-DOCTORAL RESEARCH

IT 201 - INFORMATION DESIGN TECHNIQUES

CS 792 - PRE-DOCTORAL RESEARCH

IS 488 - INDEPENDENT STUDY IN INFO

IS 725 - INDEPENDENT STUDY I

I am a multidisciplinary person with a background in computer science and software engineering, mathematics, digital media, and arts. I enjoy collaborative projects involving other disciplines such as healthcare, education, and languages to solve real world problems. My expertise and research interests include computer graphics, virtual and augmented reality, creating 3D synthetic environments (e.g. virtual campus), and modeling interactive 3D virtual humans with animated facial expressions, speech, and body language for the purposes of simulation and training in the education, military, and healthcare domains. During my PhD, I developed a new class of augmented reality patient simulators called Physical-Virtual Patients (PVP). The PVP allows healthcare educators to interact with a life-size simulated patient by providing real-time physical tactile cues (e.g. temperature, pulse), auditory cues (e.g. speech, heart sounds), and rich dynamic visual cues such as facial expressions (e.g. pain, emotions) and changes in appearance (e.g. skin color, wounds). I would like to continue the research related to simulation and training especially in areas that involve simulating humans, and multi-sensory applications whether for healthcare, mental health, or other domains.

Jane Mee, Sarah, & Daher, Salam, & DeFranco, Joanna F. (2022). Alexa, M.D.. Computer, 55(2), 85-89.

Musa, Dahlia, & Gonzalez, Laura, & Penney, Heidi, & Daher, Salam (2021). Interactive Video Simulation for Remote Healthcare Learning. Frontiers in Surgery, 8,

Gonzalez, Laura, & Daher, Salam, & Welch, Greg (2020). Neurological Assessment Using a Physical-Virtual Patient (PVP). Simulation & Gaming, 51(6), 802-818.

Gonzalez, Laura, & Daher, Salam, & Welch, Greg (2020). Neurological Assessment Using a Physical-Virtual Patient (PVP). Simulation and Gaming,

Daher, Salam, & Hochreiter, Jason, & Schubert, Ryan, & Gonzalez, Laura, & Cendan, Juan, & Anderson, Mindi, & Diaz, Desiree A., & Welch, Gregory F. (2020). The Physical-Virtual Patient Simulator: A Physical Human Form with Virtual Appearance and Behavior. Simulation in Healthcare, 15(2), 115-121.

Schubert, Ryan, & Welch, Greg, & Daher, Salam, & Raij, Andrew (2016). HuSIS: A Dedicated Space for Studying Human Interactions. IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, 36(6), 26-36.

Hochreiter, Jason, & Daher, Salam, & Nagendran, Arjun, & Gonzalez, Laura, & Welch, Greg (2016). Optical touch sensing on nonparametric rear-projection surfaces for interactive physical-virtual experiences. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 25(1), 33-46.

Interactive Video Simulation for Healthcare Education: Technology Acceptance and Perceived Authenticity
22nd International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH 2022), January (1st Quarter/Winter) 2022

Interactive Video Simulation: A Remote Solution
June 2021

Tracking Eye Gaze in Unity3D for Training
GMIS, October (4th Quarter/Autumn) 2020

Matching vs. non-matching visuals and shape for embodied virtual healthcare agents
March 2019

A systematic survey of 15 years of user studies published in the intelligent virtual agents conference
November 2018

Physical-Virtual Agents for Healthcare Simulation
ACM, November 2018

Cognitive and Touch Performance Effects of Mismatched 3D Physical and Visual Perceptions
August 2018

Can social presence be contagious? Effects of social presence priming on interaction with Virtual Humans
April (2nd Quarter/Spring) 2017

Frontiers in Virtual Reality - Virtual Reality in Medicine
Editor, Journal Editor, 2021

Frontiers in Virtual Reality - Virtual Reality in Industry
Editor, Journal Editor, 2020