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Illinois State launches AI research to detect early signs of atrial fibrillation

Illinois State University has launched a new Partnership for AI Research (PAIR) project to aid in medical research. Clinical nurse specialist, researcher and Carle BroMenn Medical Center endowed professor in the Mennonite College of Nursing, Marilyn Prasun and assistant professor in the School of Information Technology, Nariman Ammar, collaborated on this project, which aims to detect early signs of Atrial Fibrillation using AI and machine learning technology. Atrial Fibrillation is a cardiovascular condition in which the two upper chambers of your heart don’t contract regularly, and can lead to blood pooling, which increases your risk of stroke. Prasun said that collaboration is a big part of this project. “I think that collaboration is really the exciting part about this study because we’re taking two different disciplines and coming together to really seek to answer questions,” Prasun said. “To my knowledge, I believe this is the first time that the College of Nursing and Dr. Ammar’s area, computer science and technology, have joined together to really seek to answer questions.” Ammar also talked about collaboration and what PAIR is currently focusing on. “This is definitely the first time the School of IT collaborated with the College of Nursing at that level. We are building a research lab for using AI to solve health-related research problems, and so that can be a nice place for all faculty and students, and it will attract more talents for sure,” Ammar said. “We are focusing on cardiovascular for now, so any health condition that can fall under that umbrella will be solved with those AI methodologies, and so it is bigger than just one research study.” Prasun talked about PAIR’s mission, which is currently to use AI and machine technology to detect early signs of Atrial Fibrillation. “Our hope, as Dr. Ammar stated, was to develop this interdisciplinary team skilled at applying machine learning and AI technology to assist in identifying health issues, and for this study in particular, we’re really looking at algorithms to help facilitate the early detection of Atrial Fibrillation,” Prasun said. “The goal is can we find these individuals early and predict the potential occurrence of Atrial Fibrillation, which potentially could lead to people being treated earlier and ultimately having better outcomes.” Prasun and Ammar also talked about how PAIR came to be. “This has been a fun and exciting journey in that Dr. Ammar reached out. Although we’re colleagues working at the same university, we really didn’t know one another prior to this, but she’d seen an opportunity,” Prasun said. “I saw this as an opportunity which was unique. I actually wanted to help institutions who do not yet have this idea for a research lab that would apply AI to healthcare, so they offered us funding to establish the lab in terms capacity building, so basically training faculty and students to be able to use AI in an ethical way, so unbiased, privacy preserving and to be able to do research,” said Ammar. “It’s not just using AI in the traditional way, it’s also respecting diversity in the data and these kinds of things, which are essential for healthcare. It’s also a good opportunity for ISU in general.” Ammar then went on to discuss future plans for PAIR. “There’s a phase two, and we’re hoping we’re gonna get it. We’re applying for bigger grant opportunities within NIH (National Institutions of Health) and other places as well,” Ammar said.
EMMA WESTRAY | News and Features Reporter | Wed, Oct 15, 2025

Illinois State University has launched a new Partnership for AI Research (PAIR) project to aid in medical research.

Clinical nurse specialist, researcher and Carle BroMenn Medical Center endowed professor in the Mennonite College of Nursing, Marilyn Prasun and assistant professor in the School of Information Technology, Nariman Ammar, collaborated on this project, which aims to detect early signs of Atrial Fibrillation using AI and machine learning technology.

Atrial Fibrillation is a cardiovascular condition in which the two upper chambers of your heart don’t contract regularly, and can lead to blood pooling, which increases your risk of stroke. Prasun said that collaboration is a big part of this project.

“I think that collaboration is really the exciting part about this study because we’re taking two different disciplines and coming together to really seek to answer questions,” Prasun said. “To my knowledge, I believe this is the first time that the College of Nursing and Dr. Ammar’s area, computer science and technology, have joined together to really seek to answer questions.”

Ammar also talked about collaboration and what PAIR is currently focusing on.

“This is definitely the first time the School of IT collaborated with the College of Nursing at that level. We are building a research lab for using AI to solve health-related research problems, and so that can be a nice place for all faculty and students, and it will attract more talents for sure,” Ammar said. “We are focusing on cardiovascular for now, so any health condition that can fall under that umbrella will be solved with those AI methodologies, and so it is bigger than just one research study.”

Prasun talked about PAIR’s mission, which is currently to use AI and machine technology to detect early signs of Atrial Fibrillation.

“Our hope, as Dr. Ammar stated, was to develop this interdisciplinary team skilled at applying machine learning and AI technology to assist in identifying health issues, and for this study in particular, we’re really looking at algorithms to help facilitate the early detection of Atrial Fibrillation,” Prasun said. “The goal is can we find these individuals early and predict the potential occurrence of Atrial Fibrillation, which potentially could lead to people being treated earlier and ultimately having better outcomes.”

Prasun and Ammar also talked about how PAIR came to be.

“This has been a fun and exciting journey in that Dr. Ammar reached out. Although we’re colleagues working at the same university, we really didn’t know one another prior to this, but she’d seen an opportunity,” Prasun said.

“I saw this as an opportunity which was unique. I actually wanted to help institutions who do not yet have this idea for a research lab that would apply AI to healthcare, so they offered us funding to establish the lab in terms capacity building, so basically training faculty and students to be able to use AI in an ethical way, so unbiased, privacy preserving and to be able to do research,” said Ammar. “It’s not just using AI in the traditional way, it’s also respecting diversity in the data and these kinds of things, which are essential for healthcare. It’s also a good opportunity for ISU in general.”

Ammar then went on to discuss future plans for PAIR.

“There’s a phase two, and we’re hoping we’re gonna get it. We’re applying for bigger grant opportunities within NIH (National Institutions of Health) and other places as well,” Ammar said.

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