The Digital Technology Core (DTC) represents a strategic investment at UVA, aiming to establish an impactful research ecosystem supported by cutting-edge technology infrastructure, methods, and tools. Designed as a resource hub for faculty engaged in novel research involving digital technology, the DTC will address a critical need expressed by UVA faculty for enhanced resources, expertise, and infrastructure. Trained in diverse areas such as digital application design, cloud computing, and data science, the core personnel will be well-equipped to support the complexities of next-generation sensing, human-centered design, and wireless communication.

To support researchers comprehensively, the DTC will offer a range of services, including digital technology seed grants, training, networking opportunities, access to core tools at reduced costs, consultation services, and direct support. The DTC's role will extend beyond mere efficiency enhancement, as it anticipates and addresses challenging issues, such as IP/licensing/commercialization implications and the establishment of guidelines for in-house versus external tech development. Furthermore, the DTC will emphasize inclusivity by addressing barriers for non-technical individuals, providing approved digital technologies, cloud infrastructure, and dedicated staff support. Examples of enabling technologies arising from DTC initiatives include AI-enabled personalized interventions for social anxiety, wearable sensing frameworks for patient-clinician interactions, and digital tools for city emergency services coordination. The DTC will serve as a connector for investigators – introducing them to other services and units across Grounds that can help support their research initiatives.

The Digital Technology Core represents a pivotal step towards centralizing and integrating digital technology services at UVA. By fostering accessibility, collaboration, and innovation, the core is poised to position UVA as a leader in groundbreaking research, enhancing the competitiveness of researchers for major proposals and contributing to the university's overall research excellence.

The Digital Technology Core (DTC) at UVA offers comprehensive support for research involving wearables, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and mobile technology. It provides expertise in areas such as mobile app development, machine learning, and cloud infrastructure, with services ranging from training and consultation to full project collaboration. Researchers can integrate DTC support into their grant proposals, accessing technical assistance or leveraging existing software solutions. The DTC's goal is to empower research with digital tools, enhancing UVA's research capabilities across various disciplines.

In 2025, the Digital Technology Core (DTC) made significant advancements across the four strategic areas included below:

•    Engagement and Partnerships: Participated in 13 outreach events and added 3 new faculty members to the DTC Faculty Advisory Committee.

•    Research Enablement: Developed 4 new research applications (i.e., brand new research apps that are now in the pilot or data collection phase) and took over support for 2 existing apps (i.e., research apps made before the DTC that the DTC is now maintaining). Delivered cloud infrastructure support to the Engineering Research Center (ERC) Grand Challenge development initiative.

•    Grant Support: Provided 8 letters of support for grant submissions, 2 of which have already been funded

•    Infrastructure and Integration: Expanded the DTC Digital Trails Smartphone app with research consent capabilities, integrated Fitbit, Oura, and WisePill devices as supported / integrated data streams in the DTC cloud and migrated backend storage to the Delta Table format – enabling seamless interoperability with analytics platforms such as Microsoft Fabric and Databricks.

The primary shortfall during this period was the inability to fill the planned second full-time technical position due to ITS hiring restrictions following uncertainty in federal funding.

Building on its strong foundation in 2024 – when the DTC established its digital and physical presence, hired core staff, launched the Digital Trails research platform as an example of its end-to-end mobile sensing and intervention capabilities, and began providing consultation across diverse UVA projects – the Core entered 2025 focused on scaling impact. With its infrastructure, partnerships, and governance processes in place, the DTC shifted from foundational development to active deployment, collaboration, and expansion – strengthening relationships across UVA, supporting new grants, and advancing the university’s capacity for secure, scalable digital research. Researchers interested in using DTC resources, platforms, or expertise can connect through the DTC website, which serves as the front door for requests, collaborations, and consultations.

Staffing and Operations

Over the past year, the DTC focused on filling its final full-time technical position. Hiring for this role requires approval from the ITS Leadership Committee, and although the DTC’s initial request was delayed due to university-wide hiring restrictions, the committee invited a reapplication in early October. The DTC remains
optimistic that approval will be granted in the coming months. Once filled, this position will complete the Core’s originally planned staffing structure.

New Research

In its second year of operation, the DTC provided direct technical and software support to ten research projects. Six were newly launched initiatives now in piloting or data-collection phases:
•    MindTrails Movement* and MindTrails Español* (Professors Jessie Gibson, School of Nursing, and Bethany Teachman, Department of Psychology)

•    Breast Cancer Decision Support (Professor Crystal Chu, School of Nursing)

•    Cancer Medication Adherence (Professors Laura Barnes, School of Engineering, and Kristi Wells, Department of Psychology, San Diego State University)

•    Mind in Motion* (Professors Christopher Kuenze, Department of Kinesiology, UVA, and Shelby Baez, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

•    Digital Technology for Smart Infrastructure (Professor Jon Goodall, Link Lab, School of Engineering) Two existing projects transitioned to DTC support:
•    Tremor Trainer (Professor Jordan Garris, Department of Psychology)

•    EQUAL Anesthesia (Dr. Bhiken Naik, School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology) Two additional initiatives are in the planning phase:
•    Youth Social Support (Professor Stefanie Sequeira, Department of Psychology)

•    Youth Mental Emergency Support (Dr. Lora Henderson Smith, School of Education and Human Development; Dr. Moira Smith, UVA Health- Emergency Medicine; and Professor Afsaneh Doryab, Departments Systems and Information Engineering and Computer Science).
o    This interdisciplinary team is developing a mobile psychoeducation app to support adolescents returning to school following an emergency department visit.

Of these ten projects, three were funded through DTC seed grants (indicated above with *; please see Appendix B – Seed Funded Project Abstracts for more information on these projects), while the remaining seven were supported by funding external to the DTC, which covered staff time and infrastructure costs. Please see Appendix A – Summary of the Digital Technology Cores Project Metrics for additional details regarding DTC supported research projects.

New Grant Applications

In 2025, the DTC contributed to eight grant applications, providing letters of support, technical consultation, and integration planning for DTC infrastructure. Two of these proposals were awarded (details included below), while seven remain under review.

•    NIH R21 (PI: Stefanie Sequeira) – Youth Social Support App
o    Total Award amount: $441,430 total ($275,000 direct)
o    DTC budget: $20,000 over 2 years (beginning in 2026 and extending to 2027)
•    Office of Nursing Research (PI: Crystal Chu) – Breast Cancer Decision-Support App
o    Award amount: $30,000 over three years
o    DTC budget: $20,000 over 2 years (beginning in Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 and extending to 2027)
Both grants include 8% FTE per year of DTC staff support during active data collection (approximately $10,000 per year for four years).

In addition, the DTC awarded three internal seed grants to promising projects. Two of these (MindTrails Movement and MindTrails Español, Professors Bethany Teachman and Jessie Gibson) are now in data collection, while the third (Mind Move, Professors Christopher Kuenze and Shelby Baez) is preparing a submission for an NIH R61 grant. Please see Appendix A for more details about DTC supported grants and Appendix B for the DTC’s awarded seed grant abstracts.

DTC Advisory Committee

In 2025, the DTC expanded its Faculty Advisory Committee, inviting Subigya Nepal (School of Engineering and Applied Science, Department of Computer Science), Christopher Kuenze (School of Education and Human Development, Department of Kinesiology), Michael Grinnell (UVA Information Security), and Andrew Taylor from Emergency Medicine in the School of Medicine. This diverse cohort broadens the committee’s interdisciplinary reach and reflects strong alignment between each member’s long-term research goals and the DTC’s mission.

Beginning in 2026, the DTC Associate Director will convene quarterly meetings with the full advisory committee. These meetings will provide updates on DTC resource allocation and strategic priorities for the next one to two years. In turn, the committee will offer feedback on faculty needs, raise concerns, and provide recommendations to ensure that the DTC remains aligned with UVA’s broader research goals. The overarching aim is to foster a collaborative, transparent partnership through which the DTC continues to earn and sustain faculty trust and engagement.

In 2025, the DTC made a measurable impact across the UVA research community. The Core awarded three seed grants to innovative research projects – one of which will lead to an NIH R61 application in the coming months, while the other two are preparing applications for additional NIH extension funding within the next year.

Beyond internal funding, the DTC supported nine new external grant applications, two of which have already been awarded, totaling $471,430 in new funding, while the remaining seven are still under review. In parallel, the DTC provided technical and software support for seven externally funded research projects.

Overall, the DTC’s efforts in 2025 helped UVA faculty secure two new grants, submit eight competitive proposals, and advance six research projects from the initial planning stage into piloting or active data collection. At the same time, the DTC invested in strengthening its own infrastructure – adding key capabilities such as enhanced back-end data storage for analytics and Fitbit/Oura/WisePill device integrations – positioning the Core to provide even more scalable and efficient research support in the future.

Growing Long-term Capacity

In 2025, the DTC completed four major upgrades to its research software infrastructure, significantly expanding the capabilities available to UVA investigators. These enhancements include:

•    IRB Consent Integration – enabling digital consent workflows through REDCap or Qualtrics;
•    Wearable and IoT Device Data Collection – supporting data from Oura, Fitbit and WisePill devices;
•    Delta Table Data Storage – enabling seamless integration with advanced analytics platforms such as
Microsoft Fabric; and
•    Deidentified Authentication – enhancing user privacy and security across all DTC-supported applications.

Each of these features is now freely available to UVA researchers partnering with the DTC. With the core infrastructure now largely established, 2026 efforts will focus on automation and scalability, enabling researchers to independently deploy and manage studies on the DTC platform with minimal direct support from the DTC technical team.