Central Penn College professor in the Information Technology Department, Jeremy Dixon, is in the process of developing a new mobile and tablet app for chronic patients who are in a state of 'transition.'
Transition means chronic young patients who have been treated by pediatrics and now need to find a new consultant.
The app will feature background information of the disease, list respective available doctors and store one's medical history.
Dixon told Penn Live that currently only a trial version exists.
"What we have seen historically is the person will stop going to the doctor entirely," Dixon said. "Think about everything you're going through in your late teens. There are so many things going on, and for these people medical care is a huge issue."
Dixon's wife, Shannan, a genetic counselor and assistant professor at University of Maryland, is also working on this app and concentrates on the health aspects, while he focuses on the technology.
The couple obtained a federal grant worth $30,000 and funded 10 tablet out of it to help transition patients test this app.
Dixon feels positive about this app, which will act as a resource guide for transition patients and is not interested in marketing his innovative technology.
He will complete this app by the end of this year, which will also the topic of his dissertation thesis.
Dixon completed his MBA and MS from Johns Hopkins University (2009); MS in Geoenvironmental Science from Shippensburg University (1999), and BA in Environmental Science from Catawba College (1997).
He will be obtaining a doctorate degree in science this year from Towson University, Maryland.