University of Rochester Medical Center highlights an ongoing collaboration between the Department of Computer Science and the Eastman Institute for Oral Health at UR Medicine.

The collaboration centers on SOPHIE, an AI-powered virtual patient designed to help healthcare professionals practice difficult conversations in a safe and realistic environment.

SOPHIE was originally developed to help oncologists strengthen their communication with patients undergoing cancer treatment. The platform is now being adapted for oral health education, where effective communication is equally essential.

Dental professionals must often explain unfamiliar procedures, address anxiety, correct misconceptions, and build trust with patients from a wide range of linguistic and cultural backgrounds. For clinicians who come from different countries and healthcare systems, understanding these nuances can be especially challenging.

SOPHIE provides an opportunity to practice these interactions before entering the clinical setting. Through simulated conversations, learners can gain hands-on experience with the fundamental human skills that shape a patient’s experience of care.

AI cannot replace empathy, compassion, or human connection. It can, however, provide a safe space where healthcare professionals can practice and strengthen those skills.

This collaboration was made possible in large part through the work of ROC HCI Lab graduate student Masum Hasan. It also builds on the contributions of generations of students who helped develop SOPHIE, including the late Dr. Kurtis Haut.

It is particularly meaningful to see Kurtis’s legacy continue through this work. His contributions helped establish an important foundation for the platform and for the collaborations that followed.

The associated pilot study, “AI Virtual Standardized Patient Training for Perinatal Dental Communication: A Pilot Study,” was published in the Journal of Dental Education.

Read the paper:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jdd.70246