The Grainger College of Engineering

Caroline Cao

Caroline Cao
Caroline Cao she/her/hers
  • Professor
111 Transportation Building

For More Information

Education

  • BS, Biochemistry (major), Kinesiology (minor), Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada    1991
  • Post-Bac Diploma, Occupational Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada 1994
  • MS, Kinesiology (motor control), Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada 1996
  • Certificate, Strategic Management of Telecommunications Institute of Strategy and International Business, Helsinki University of Technology, Helsinki, Finland  1999
  • Certificate, Strategic Management of Technology in a Global Environment, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy  1999
  • PhD, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada  2002

Academic Positions

  • 2001-2011 Assistant/Associate, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
  • 2008-2011, Adjunct Assistant/Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
  • 2012 - 2022, Professor, Department of Biomedical, Industrial and Human Factors Engineering, Wright State University, Dayton, OH, USA
  • 2021 - 2023, Professor, and Chair for Industry of the Future, IMT Atlantique, Brest, France
  • 2021 - present, Adjunct Professor, Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
  • 2023 - present, Professor, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA

Documents

Other Professional Activities

  • Chaire Regionale de Chercheur Etranger de la Region Pays de la Loire (Research Chair of Loire Region), Nantes, France, 2009-2011
  • Distinguished Visiting Scientist, Australian e-Health Research Centre, The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIO), Brisbane, Australia, 2013
  • Chercheur au Laboratoire des Sciences du Numerique de Nantes (LS2N) (UMR CNRS 6004), 2019-21
  • Visiting Professor, Department of Haptic Intelligence, Max-Planck-Institute for Intelligent systems, Stuttgart, Germany, 2019
  • RFI Chaire Internationale, Recherche, Formation et Innovation (RFI), Atlanstic 2020, Nantes, France, 2019-21
  • Chercheur au Labroatoire des Sciences et Techniques de l'information de la Communication et de la Connaissance (Lab-STICC) (UMR CNRS 6285), 05/2021-present
  • Scientific Advisor, FAME cluster, NeXT, Nantes, France, 2018-present

Professional Highlights

  • Director of Ergonomics in Remote Environments Laboratory (EREL), 2001-present. Successfully mentored 36 graduate students, 27 postdocs (including surgical residents) and research associates, directed 5 undergrad honors theses, and supervised 43 special undergrad and grad research projects. Published 52 peer-reviewed journal articles, 94 conference proceedings, 73 abstracts and posters, 3 book chapters, 2 patents, 12 technical reports, and delivered 88 invited talks including 5 keynote addresses.
  • International Chair for Industry of the Future, University of South Australia and Region Bretagne, France, 2021-2023. Responsibilities: • Provide vision and strategic plan for a joint research program in Industry of the Future between IMT Atlantique and University of South Australia • Provide leadership and mentorship to researchers and students at both universities and labs • Build relationships and collaborative projects with industry partners • Design academic program in Industry 4.0 • Develop cotutelle (dual PhD) programs and exchange programs between France and Australian universities • Coordinate research proposals and contracts • Conduct research and develop tools for Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0 • Manage 460k € industry contracts from ANR, Airbus, Captronic, and InterCarnot.
  • Ohio Research Scholar (endowed), Ohio Imaging Research and Innovation Network (OIRAIN) 01/2012-12/2015. The Ohio Imaging Research and Innovation Network is a consortium of three universities in the State of Ohio (Wright State University, Case Western Reserve University, and the Ohio State University) for the creation of intellectual property, commercialization, and jobs in Ohio in the field of medical imaging through research and education. Research Responsibilities: • Invent patentable technology • Launched a technology start-up in medical devices • Fundraise • Manage day-to-day operations • Supervise researchers, grad students • Negotiate vendor contracts • Project management • Manage budget of $330,000
  • Associate Editor, Human Factors, 2017-present; Associate Editor, Journal of Advances in Human-Computer Interaction, 2007-present. Responsibilities: • Manage review of manuscript submissions • Recruit reviewers • Evaluate papers for fit, scope, length, merit, etc. • Communicate with authors and provide guidance where needed
  • Founder and CEO of ENDO GUIDANCE TECHNOLOGIES LLC, 2006-present. Endo Guidance Technologies is a Dayton-based company that offers sensing and display technology for navigation in non-rigid environments. Our mission is to enable image guidance without the use of x-rays. Responsibilities: • Provide leadership for technical and business development • Engage with industry partners, manufacturers, and regulatory agencies • Engage with customers (OEM, physicians, and purchasers in hospitals and clinics) • Engage with Board of Advisors and investors • Recruit technical and business talent • Fundraising (over $515,000)
  • Director of the Jump Simulation Center Urbana (a high fidelity simulation center for medical education and training), 2013-present. Responsibilities: • Provide vision and strategic plan for simulation and medical education • Provide leadership and mentorship to staff, researchers and medical students • Develop new programs for internal and external learners • Engage with industry technology providers to innovate and translate simulation-based products • Partner with Academic Affairs, Advancement, Corporate Relations, Innovation and Entrepreneurship to advance R&D • Develop budget and allocate resources • Recruit and hire staff and students • Direct research and innovation
  • Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES): The world's largest scientific association for human factors and ergonomics professionals, with more than 4,500 members around the world. President-Elect (2024-25), President (2025-26), Past-President (2026-2027). Principal Responsibilities as President-Elect: Serve HFES in achieving strategic, operational and relational objectives

Research Interests

  • Human Factors Engineering of medical devices and systems
  • XR simulation for medical skills and empathy training
  • Haptics and sensory augmentation for remote manipulation
  • Shape sensing for remote visualization and navigation

Research Areas

Chapters in Books

  • Cao, C.G.L. & O'Leary, J. (2003). Prosthesis project. In Science Explorer: Human Biology and Health Series D. Prentice Hall, Needham, MA.
  • Rogers, G. & Cao, C.G.L. (2004). Coupling surgeons with technology: The next generation of surgical robots. In: Primer of Robotic and Telerobotic Surgery, Edited by Garth Ballantyne. Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins Pub.
  • Cao, C.G.L. & Rogers, G. (2007). Robotics in Healthcare. In: Handbook of Human Factors and Ergonomics in Healthcare and Patient Safety, Edited by Pascale Carayon. Lawrence Erlbaum Ass.

Selected Articles in Journals

  • MacKenzie, C.L., Cao, C.G.L., Ibbotson, J.A., Lomax, A.J. (2001). Hierarchical decomposition of laparoscopic surgery: A human factors approach to investigating the operating room environment. Journal of Minimally Invasive Therapy and Allied Technologies (MITAT), Vol. 10 (3), 121-127.
  • Goodell, K., Cao, C.G.L., Schwaitzberg, S. (2006). The effects of cognitive distraction on performance of laparoscopic surgical tasks. Journal of Laparoendoscopic & Advanced Surgical Techniques, 16(2), 94-98.
  • Webster, J. & Cao, C.G.L. (2006). Lowering communication barriers in operating room technology. Human Factors, 48(4), 747-758.
  • O’Connor, A., Schwaitzberg, S.D., Cao, C.G.L. (2007). How much feedback is necessary for learning to suture? Surgical Endoscopy, 22(7), 1614-1619.
  • Cao, C.G.L., Weinger, M., Slagle, J., Zhou, C., et al. (2008). Differences in Day and Night Shift Clinical Performance in Anesthesiology. Human Factors, 50(2), 276-290.
  • Barrios, L., Tsuda, S., Derevianko, A., Barnett, S., Moorman, D., Cao, C.G.L., Karavas, A.N., Jones, D.B. (2009). Framing family conversation after early diagnosis of iatrogenic injury and incidental findings. Surgical Endoscopy, 23(11), 2535-2542.
  • Conrad, C., Konuk, Y., Werner, P., Cao, C.G.L., Warshaw, A., Rattner, D., Jones, D.B., Gee, D. (2010). The effect of defined auditory conditions versus mental loading on the laparoscopic motor skill performance of experts. Surgical Endoscopy, 24, 1347-1352.
  • Conrad, C., Konuk, Y., Werner, P., Cao, C.G.L., Warshaw, A., Rattner, D., Jones, D.B., Gee, D. (2012). A quality improvement study on avoidable stressors and countermeasures affecting surgical motor performance and learning. Annals of Surgery, 255(6), 1190.
  • Perez, R.S., Skinner, A., Weyrauch, P., Niehaus, J., Lathan, C., Schwaitzberg, S.D., Cao, C.G.L. (2013). Prevention of surgical skill decay. Military Medicine, Special Issue on Designing and Using Computer Simulations in Medical Education and Training, 178, 76-86.
  • Olasky, J., Chellali, A, Zhang, L., Sankaranarayanan, G., Cao, C.G.L. (2014). Effects of sleep hours and fatigue on performance in laparoscopic surgery simulators. Surgical Endoscopy, 28(9), 2564-2568.
  • 45. Chellali, A., Schwaitzberg, S., Jones, D, Romanelli, J., Miller, A., Rattner, D., Roberts, K., Cao, C.G.L. (2014). Towards scar-free surgery: An analysis of the increasing complexity from laparoscopic surgery to NOTES. Surgical Endoscopy, 28(11), 3119-3133.
  • Mentis, H., Chellali, A., Manser, K., Schwaitzberg, S., Cao, C.G.L. (2015). A systematic review of the effect of distraction on surgeon performance: Directions for operating room policy and surgical training. Surgical Endoscopy, 30(5), 1713-1724.
  • Flinn, J., Miller, A., Pyatka, N., Brewer, J., Schneider, T., Cao, C.G.L. (2016). The effect of stress on learning in surgical skill acquisition. Medical Teacher, 38(9), 897-903.
  • Cao, C.G.L. & Rogers, G. (2004). Robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery: The importance of human factors analysis and design. Surgical Technology International, Vol. 12, 73-86.
  • Cunningham, S., Chellali, A., Classe, J., Jaffre, I., Cao, C.G.L. (2013). Effects of experience and cultural differences in human-robot team interaction in robotic surgery. International Journal of Social Robotics, 5(1), 75-88.
  • Maddah, M., Dumas, C., Gauthier, O., Fuselier, M., Cao, C.G.L. (2020). Measuring organ shift and deformation for port placement in robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery. Laparoscopic, Endoscopic and Robotic Surgery, 3(4), 99-106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lers.2020.09.002
  • Maddah, M., Classe, J-M., Jaffre, I., Watson, K., Lin, K., Chablat, D., Dumas, C., Cao, C.G.L. (2023). A decision aid for the problem of port placement in robotic hysterectomy. Laparoscopic, Endoscopic and Robotic Surgery. 6(2), 43-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lers.2023.05.002
  • Cao, C.G.L. (2007). Guiding navigation in colonoscopy. Surgical Endoscopy: New Technology, 21, 480-484.
  • Cao, C.G.L. & Milgram, P. (2007). Direction and location are not sufficient for navigating in non-rigid environments – an empirical study in augmented reality. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 16(6), 584-602.
  • Shimotsu, R. & Cao, C.G.L. (2007). The effect of color-contrasting shadows on a dynamic 3D laparoscopic surgical task. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Part A: Systems and Humans, 37(6), 1047-1053.
  • Eisenstein, J.A., Wong, P.Y., Cao, C.G.L. (2010). Evaluation of techniques to model bend loss in multimode fibers. Applied Optics, 49(12), 2220-2231. (Also published in the Virtual Journal for Biomedical Optics, 5(9) http://www.opticsinfobase.org/VJBO/abstract.cfm?URI=ao-49-12-2220)
  • Gavalis, R.M., Wong, P.Y., Eisenstein, J.A., Lilge, L., Cao, C.G.L. (2010). Localized active-cladding optical fiber bend sensor. Optical Engineering, 49(6), 064401
  • Kesner, J.E., Gavalis, R., Wong, P.Y., Cao, C.G.L. (2011). Multi-fiber optical bend sensor to aid colonoscope navigation. Optical Engineering, 50(12), 124402.
  • Rinehart, B., Cao, C.G.L. (2016). Concentration and size dependence of peak wavelength shift on quantum dots in colloidal suspension. Optical Engineering, 55(8), 087106.
  • Perreault, J. & Cao, C.G.L. (2006). Effects of vision and friction on haptic perception. Human Factors, 48(3), 574-586.
  • Cao, C.G.L., Zhou, M.G., Jones, D.B., Schwaitzberg, S.D. (2007). Can surgeons think and operate with haptics at the same time? Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, 11(11), 1564-1569.
  • Zhou, M., Perreault, J., Schwaitzberg, S.D., Cao, C.G.L. (2007). Effect of experience on force perception threshold in minimally invasive surgery. Surgical Endoscopy, 22(2), 510-515.
  • Zhou, M., Tse, S., Derevianko, A., Jones, D.B., Schwaitzberg, S.D., Cao, C.G.L. (2011). Effect of haptic feedback in laparoscopic surgery skill acquisition. Surgical Endoscopy, 26(4), 1128-1134
  • Greenwald, D., Cao, C.G.L, Bushnell, E. W. (2012). Haptic detection of artificial tumors by hand and with a tool in a MIS environment. IEEE Transactions on Haptics, 5(2), 131-138.
  • Wang, J., Chellali, A., Cao, C.G.L. (2015). Haptic communication in collaborative virtual environments. Human Factors, 58(3), 496-508.
  • Hoskins, R., Wang, J., Cao, C.G.L. (2016). Use of stochastic resonance methods for improving laparoscopic surgery performance. Surgical Endoscopy, 30(10), 4214-4219
  • Avgerinos, D., Goodell, K., Waxberg, S., Cao, C.G.L., Schwaitzberg, S. (2005). Comparison of the sensitivity of physical and virtual laparoscopic training simulators to the user’s level of experience. Surgical Endoscopy, 19(9), 1211-1215. 24. Avgerinos, D., Goodell, K., Waxberg, S., Cao, C.G.L., Schwaitzberg, S. (2005). Comparison of the sensitivity of physical and virtual laparoscopic training simulators to the user’s level of experience. Surgical Endoscopy, 19(9), 1211-1215.
  • Bell, A., Saide, M., Johanas, J., Leisk, G.G., Schwaitzberg, S.D., Cao, C.G.L. Innovative dynamic minimally invasive training environment (DynaMITE) (2007). Journal of Surgical Innovation, 14(3), 2007, 217-224.
  • Bell, A., Zhou, M., Schwaitzberg, S.D., Cao, C.G. L. (2009). Using a Dynamic Training Environment to Acquire Laparoscopic Surgery Skill. Surgical Endoscopy, 23(10), 2356-2363.
  • Sankaranarayanan, G., Lin, H., Arikatla, V.S., Mulcare, M., Zhang, L., Derevianko, A., Lim, R., Fobert, D., Cao, C.G.L., Schwaitzberg, S.D., Jones, D.B., De, S. (2010). Preliminary face and construct validation study of a virtual basic laparoscopic skill trainer. Journal of Laparoendoscopic & Advanced Surgical Techniques, 20(2), 153-157.
  • Zhang, L., Grosdemouge, C., Sankaranarayanan, G., Anh, W., Sreekanth, A.V., De, S., Jones, D., Schwartzberg, S., Cao, C.G.L. (2012). Added value of virtual reality technology and force feedback for surgical training simulators. Work: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment and Rehabilitation, 41(0), 2288-92.
  • Zhang, L. & Cao, C.G.L. (2012). Effect of automatic image realignment on visuomotor coordination in laparoscopic surgery. Applied Ergonomics, 43(6), 993-1001.
  • Arikatla, V.S., Sankaranarayanan, G., Ahn, W., Chellali, A., De, S., Cao, C.G.L., Hwabejire, J., DeMoya, M., Schwaitzberg, S., Jones, D.B. (2013). Face and construct validation of a virtual peg transfer simulator. Surgical Endoscopy, 27(5), 1721-1729.
  • Zhang, L., Sankaranarayanan, G., Arikatla, V., Ahn, W., Grosdemouge, C., Rideout, J., Epstein, S., De, S., Schwaitzberg, S., Jones, D., Cao, C.G.L. (2013). Characterizing the learning curve of the VBLaST (Virtual Basic Laparoscopic Skill Trainer). Surgical Endoscopy, 27(10), 3603-3615.
  • Chellali, A., Zhang, L., Sankaranarayanan, G., Cao, C.G.L. (2014). Validation of the VBLaST peg transfer task: A first step towards an alternate training standard. Surgical Endoscopy, 28(10), 2856-2862.
  • Chellali, A., Ahn, W., Sankaranarayanan, G., Flinn, J.T., Schwaitzberg, S.D., Jones, D.B., De, S., Cao, C.G.L. (2014). Preliminary evaluation of the pattern cutting and the ligating loop virtual laparoscopic trainers. Surgical Endoscopy, 29(4), 815-821.
  • Olasky, J., Sankaranarayanan, G., Seymour, N.E., Magee, J.H., Enquobahrie, A., Lin, M.C., Aggarwal, R., Brunt, L.M., Schwaitzberg, S.D., Cao, C.G.L., De, S., Jones, D.B. (2015). Identifying Opportunities for Virtual Reality Simulation in Surgical Education; A Review of the Proceedings from the Innovation, Design, and Emerging Alliances in Surgery (IDEAS) Conference: VR Surgery, Nov 23, 2013. Surgical Innovation, 22(5), 514-521
  • Sankaranarayanan, G. Li, B., Manser, K. Jones, S.B., Jones, D.B., Schwaitzberg, S., Cao, C.G.L., De, S. (2016). Face and Construct Validation of a Next Generation Virtual Reality (Gen2-VR©) Surgical Simulator. Surgical Endoscopy, 30(3), 979-985.
  • Awtrey, C.S., Chellali, A., Schwaitzberg, S.D., De, S., Jones, D.B., Cao, C.G.L. (2015). Validation of the VBLaST: A virtual peg transfer task in gynecologic surgeons. The Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology, 22(7), 1271-1277.
  • Demirel, D., Butler, K.L., Halic, T., Sankaranarayanan, G., Spindler, D., Cao, C.G.L., Petrusa, E., Molina, M., Jones, D., De, S. DeMoya, M. (2015). A hierarchical task analysis of cricothyroidotomy procedure for a virtual airway skills trainer (VAST) simulator. American Journal of Surgery, 212(3), 475-484.
  • Dorozhkin, D., Nemani, A., Roberts, K., Ahn, W., Halic, T., Dargar, S., Wang, J., Cao, C.G.L., Sankaranarayanan, G., De, S. (2016). Face and content validation of a Virtual Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery Trainer (VTEST). Surgical Endoscopy. DOI: 10.1007/s00464-016-4917-7
  • Chellali, A., Mentis, H., Miller, A., Ahn, W., Arikatla, V., Sankaranarayanan, G., De, S., Schwaitzberg, S., Cao, C.G.L. (2016). Achieving interface and environmental fidelity in the virtual basic laparoscopic surgical trainer. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 96, 22-37.
  • Dorozhkin, D., Olasky, J., Jones, D.B., Schwaitzberg, S.D., Jones, S.B., Cao, C.G.L., Molina, M., Henriques, S., Wang, J., Flinn, J., De, S., and the SAGES FUSE Committee (2017). OR fire virtual training simulator: design and face validity. Surgical Endoscopy, 31(9), 3527-3533.
  • Maddah, M. & Cao, C.G.L. (2017). Application of the alpha method to visualize and analyze surgical motion. Surgical Science, 8(11), 464-480.
  • Linsk, A., Monden, K., Sankaranarayanan, G., Ahn, W., Jones, D., De, S., Schwaitzberg, S., Cao, C.G.L. (2018). Validation of the VBLaST pattern cutting task: a learning curve study. Surgical Endoscopy, 32(4), 1990-2002. DOI: 10.1007/s00464-017-5895-0
  • Dombek, M., Courant, R. Lungarini, A., Santos, N., Schwaitzberg, S., Cao, C.G.L., Jones, D., De, Suvranu, Olasky, J. (2019). FUSE certification enhances performance on a virtual computer-based simulator for dispersive electrode placement. Surgical Endoscopy, 32(8), 3640-3645. DOI: 10.1007/s00464-018-6095-2
  • Alexa R. Lauinger, Meagan McNicholas, Matthew Bramlet, Maria Bederson, Bradley P. Sutton, Caroline G. L. Cao, Irfan S. Ahmad, Carlos Brown, Shandra Jamison, Sarita Adve, John Vozenilek, Jim Rehg, Mark S. Cohen, Applications of mixed reality with medical imaging for training and clinical practice, J. Med. Imag. 11(6), 062608 (2024), doi: 10.1117/1.JMI.11.6.062608.
  • Allemang--Trivalle, A., Donjat, J., Bechu, G., Coppin, G., Chollet, M., Klaproth, O.W., Mitschke, A., Schirrmann, A., Cao, C.G.L. (2024). Modelling fatigue in maual and robot-assisted work for Operator 5.0. IISE Transactions on Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors, Special Issue Human-Robot Collaboration in Occupational Settings. DOI: 10.1080/24725838.2024.2321460

Articles in Conference Proceedings

  • Béchu, G., Beugnard, A., Cao, C.G.L., Perez, Q., Urtado, C., Vauttier, S. (2022). A software engineering point of view on digital twin architecture. Proceedings of the 27th Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society: International Conference on Emerging Technologies and Factory Automation (ETFA 2022), Stuttgart, Germany, September 6-9, 2022.
  • Kessassi, C., Dumas, C., Chollet, M., Cao, C.G.L. (2023). Social presence mediates audience behaviour effects on social stress in virtual public speaking. Proceedings of the ACII 2023 (Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction). Boston, MA., Sept. 10-13, 2023.
  • Kessassi, C., Duma, C., Cao, C.G.L., Chollet, M. (2024). You're hired! Effect of virtual agents' social status and social attitudes on stress induction in virtual job interviews.  Presented at IEEE VR 2024, Orlando, FL, USA, March 18-21, 2024.
  • Cao, C.G.L. (2024). Virtual coach design and evaluation. Presented at the AHFE 2024 Conference, Nice, France, July 24-27, 2024.

Abstracts (in print or accepted)

  • Asvadi, A., Bechu, G., Beugnard, A., Cao, C.G.L., Lohr, C., Papadakis, P., Perez, Q., Urtado, C., Vauttier, S. (2022). Model-driven deployment of digital twins for smart environments – The Human at home project case study. Journée nationales du GDR GPL 2022, June 22, 2022, Vannes France.
  • Béchu, G., Beugnard, A., Cao, C. G. L., Perez, Q., Urtado, C., Vauttier, S. (2022). Déploiement dirigé par les modèles de jumeaux numériques dans les environnements intelligents. HUT LaConf 2022 – L’interdisciplinarité au service des environnements intelligents, November, 2022, Montpellier, France.
  • Allemang-Trivalle, Donjat, J., Bechu, G., Coppin, G., Klaproth, O.W., Mitschke, A., Schirrmann, A., Chollet, M., Cao, C.G.L. (2023). Human model for industrial system and production design in Industry 5.0: A case study. Presented at IISE Annual Conference & Expo 2023, May 20-23, 2023, New Orleans, Louisiana.
  • Kessassi, C., Chollet, M., Dumas, C., Cao, C. G. L. (2023). Virtually stressed: Interaction between copresence and virtual agent behaviour. Presented at the 7th International Conference on Human Computer Interaction Theory and Applications, VISIGRAPP 18th International Joint Conference on Computer Vision, Imaging and Computer Graphics Theory and Application. Lisbon, Portugal, February 19-21, 2023.
  • Cao, C. G. L., & Wilcox, K. (2023). Application of haptic augmentation in laparoscopic surgery. Presented at the AHFE 2023 Conference. Honolulu, Hawaii, December 4-7, 2023.
  • Nepomuceno, A., Gupta, A., Cao, C.G.L. (2024). Jump XR: A proposed methodology and design framework for medical XR simulation curriculum integration and case study. Presented at the HFES International Symposium, Chicago, IL, March 24-27, 2024.
  • Jamison, S., Vogel, M., Cao, C.G.L. (2024). Ensuring excellence: Validating cardiac care through medical simulation. Presented at the HFES International Symposium, Chicago, IL, March 24-27,2024.
  • Cao, C.G.L. (2024). Human factors research in empathy training. Presented at the PNIRS 2024 Annual Meeting, Halifax, Canada, June 24-27, 2024.
  • Axiopoulou, A., Day, J., Cao, C.G.L. (2024). Virtual coach design and evaluation. Presented at the AHFE 2024 Conference, Nice, France, July 24-27, 2024.
  • Kessassi, C., Cao, C.G.L., Dumas, C., Chollet, M. (2024). The induction of social stress in virtual reality simulations. Presented at the AHFE 2024 Conference, Nice, France, July 24-27, 2024.
  • Cao, C.G.L. (2024), Empathy training using XR and AI technologies: A human Factors Perspective. Presented as part of Technological Approaches to Promote Mental Health and Wellbeing, at the 14th Mind-Body Interface International Symposium, PNIRSAsia-Pacific Symposium, Taichung, Taiwan, October 19-21, 2024.
  • Kaveti, A., Languir, A., Pappu, S., Kersh, M., McDonagh, D., Cao, C.G.L. (2024). A scoping review identifying the need for empathetic surgical tool design to reduce musculoskeletal injuries in surgeons. Presented at the 2024 Annual Meeting of BMES, Baltimore, MD< October 23-26, 2024.
  • Tu, T. & Cao, C.G.L. (2024). Development of a training in first responders using immersive XR simulation. To be presented at the 2025 at the ACS Surgical Simulation Summit, Chicago, IL, March 20-21, 2025.
  • Sun, T., Neela, J., Cao, C.G.L. (2025). Empathy training in first responders using immersive XR simulation. To be presented at the 2025 Interational Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care, Toronto, Canada, March 30-April 2, 2025.

Refereed Conference Papers and Presentations

  • Axiopoulou, A., Lin, K., Watson, K., Cao, C.G.L. (2020). How do surgeon preferences and technique variance affect outcome? Proceedings of the 2020 International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care, Virtual Event, May 18-21, 2020.
  • Bass, E., Caldwell, B., Cao, C.G.L., Lee, J., Miller, C. (2020). Planning the sabbatical: Potential benefits, options and strategies. Proceedings of the HFES 64th International Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. Virtual Event, October 5-8, 2020.
  • Lechappe, A., Chollet, M., Rigaud, J., Cao, C.G.L. (2020). Assessment of situation awareness during robot-assisted surgery using multimodal data. Proceedings of the ICMI’20 Workshop, Virtual Event, October 25-29, 2020.
  • Lechappe, A., Chollet, M., Rigaud, J., Cao, C.G.L. (2021). Using multimodal data to predict surgeon situation awareness. International Ergonomics Association 21st Triennial Congress, Vancouver, Canada, June 13-18, 2021.
  • Axiopoulou, A., Day, J., Cao, C.G.L. (2021). Design of a virtual coach for training critical care air transport teams. International Ergonomics Association 21st Triennial Congress, Vancouver, Canada, June 13-18, 2021.
  • Vredenburgh, M., Stone, P., Cao, C.G.L. (2021). User experience: An evaluation of the Pilot education platform and online learning at a public university in USA. Proceedings of the HFES 65th International Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. Hybrid Event, 2021.
  •  Béchu, G., Beugnard, A., Cao, C.G.L., Perez, Q., Urtado, C., Vauttier, S. (2022). A software engineering point of view on digital twin architecture. Proceedings of the 27th Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society: International Conference on Emerging Technologies and Factory Automation (ETFA 2022), Stuttgart, Germany, September 6-9, 2022.
  • Kessassi, C., Dumas, C., Chollet, M., Cao, C.G.L. (2023). Social presence mediates audience 1. behaviour effects on social stress in virtual public speaking. Proceedings of the ACII 2023 (Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction). Boston, MA., Sept. 10-13, 2023.
  • Nepomuceno, A., Kim, I., Schultz, C., Sharp, L., Cao, C.G.L. (2024). Immersive digital-twin simulation-driven nursing education and job training. Presented at the 2024 IISE Annual Conference & Expo, Montreal, Canada, May 18-21, 2024.
  • Kessassi, C., Duma, C., Cao, C.G.L., Chollet, M. (2024). You're hired! Effect of virtual agents' social status and social attitudes on stress induction in virtual job interviews. Presented at IEEE VR 2024, Orlando, FL, USA, March 18-21, 2024.

Invited Lectures

  • Gender Equality in Academic Research
  • Panelist at German-French Industry of the Future Workshop
  • Moderator of breakout session on Industry-Education Engagement
  • L'Innovation en Sante
  • Round Table panelist for Telemedicine and Connected Health
  • Round Table panelist for Clinical Translation, Computer-Integrated Surgery: Intelligent Systems of the Future Workshop
  • Table-ronde panelist: Technologies en sante numerique
  • Moderator of workshop "Medtech: Mauvaise conception ou mauvais medecins?"
  • "Rewards and challenges in multidisciplinary research collaboration"
  • "Immersive human experience"
  • IISE Centennial Celebration.

Patents

  • US 8,725,234 B2, Systems, devices, and methods employing fiber optic shape tracking. Inventors Cao, Lilge, Milgram, Wong. Issued May 13, 2014.
  • US 8,219,180 B2, System and method employing fiber optic shape tracking. Inventors Cao, Lilge, Milgram, Wong. Issued July 10, 2012.
  • PCT/US17/55346 (US 62/404,370), Sensorized guidewire and catheter. Inventor Cao. Filed Oct 2017.

Magazine Articles

Journal Editorships

  • Advances in Human-Computer Interaction
  • Human Factors

Professional Societies

  • Societe Canadienne D'Apprentissage Psychomoteur er de Psychologie du Sport (SCAPPS), 1193-96
  • North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA), 1993-2006
  • Board of Directors, Charter Member (2002), Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, New England Chapter, 2002-05
  • American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), 2003-present Track co-chair, Technical programme committee, ASME ESDA 2012, 11th biennial conference on engineering systems design and analysis, 2-4 July 2012, Nantes, France
  • Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), 2006-present SAGES Committees: Technology; Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery, 2011-2020
  • Ohio Order of Engineers, 2013-present
  • Associate Editor, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics, Part A: Systems and Humans), 2008-12
  • Associate Editor, IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems (formerly SMC, Part A: Systems and Humans), 2012-16
  • Associate Editor, Journal of Advances in Human-Computer Interaction, 2007-present
  • Associate Editor, Human Factors, 2017-present
  • Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) Science and Policy Fellow, 2018-21 Member-at-Large, 2021-2024 Secretary-Treasurer, 2018-2021 President-Elect, 2024-2025
  • IEEE, Member 2003-present, Human-Computer Interaction Technical Committee Chair, SMC 2015-2018, IEEE Haptics Symposium, Registration Chair, 2020 (Washington , DC), 2022 (UC Santa Barbara, CA), 2024 (Long Beach, CA)

Service on Department Committees

  • Chair, Faculty Meeting Committee, Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering, 2024-2025
  • Search Committee, Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering, 2023-2024
  • Tenure and Promotion Committee, Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering, 2023-present

Service on College Committees

  • Member, Student Progress and Promotions Committee, Carle Illinois College of Medicine, 2024-2027
  • Director, Jump Simulation Center Urbana, Carle Illinois College of Medicine, 2023-present
  • Director of Engineering Innovation and Medical Simulation, Carle Illinois College of Medicine, 2023-present
  • Director of Applied Health Technology Initiatives, Grainger College of Engineering, 2023-present

Honors

  • Fellow, International Ergonomics Association (2024)
  • Fellow, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (2018)
  • Service Excellence Award, College of Engineering and Computer Science (2019 )
  • Science Policy Fellow (2018-21)
  • ELATE Fellow, nominated and selected (2018)
  • US Fulbright Scholar (host: International University, HCMC, Vietnam) (2016-17)
  • Eminent Engineer, Tau Beta Pi Ohio Mu Chapter (2016)
  • HERS Fellow, nominated and selected 2013 (2013)
  • Ohio Research Scholar (2012-2015)
  • Mellon Foundation Research Grant (2006)
  • NSF early CAREER Award (2003)
  • Chapanis Best Student Paper Award, Finalist (2001)
  • Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Scholarship (Women in Engineering), U of T Nominee (2000)
  • Ontario Graduate Scholarship (1999-2001)
  • University of Toronto Graduate Fellowship (1997-1999)
  • Gordon Diewert Fellowship (1997 (declined))
  • SFU Graduate Fellowship (1997 (declined))
  • Gordon M. Shrum Scholarship, SFU (1985-1988)
  • MacKenzie King Entrance Scholarship, UBC (1985 (declined) )
  • Vancouver Citizenship Award (1985)
  • BC Scholar (1985)

Recent Courses Taught

  • BSE 744 - Simulation I
  • SE 598 - Research Methods in HFE

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