AI tool built by UVA Wise student aims to help connect patients with health care

When Gurkan Akalin set out to find a teaching assistant for his graduate-level course in artificial intelligence and machine learning, he didn’t expect to find a qualified candidate among the incoming freshmen.

Peter Gaublomme had just arrived at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise from Arlington for his first semester when he applied for the teaching assistant position. Akalin found he had the necessary coding skills and an interest in working with AI. He also noted Gaublomme’s interest in the needs of Southwest Virginia.

“That’s just the type of person he is. He cares about people,” Akalin said. 

Within his first few months of college, Gaublomme built Wise Care, an AI navigational tool designed to help residents find health care services, understand insurance and locate nearby providers.

The Lenowisco, Cumberland Plateau and Mount Rogers health districts report some of the highest mortality rates in Virginia. A 2022 report from the Virginia Department of Health found that residents often struggle to access care due to difficulty finding providers, limited transportation and limited options to improve health literacy.

Wise County is also federally designated as a Health Profession Shortage Area for dental, mental health and primary care. Even when services are available, some providers do not accept certain insurance plans.

Gaublomme said he created Wise Care to help residents navigate those barriers. 

“I noticed that one of the most prevalent issues in the region was access to health care,” he said. “Many people in Southwest Virginia face these different challenges regarding navigating health care systems, especially just navigating how to identify specialists, insurance coverage and local services. So my intent behind building Wise Care was, how can I organize reliable regional information regarding health care?”

He built the tool using OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. Users can enter questions, and the chatbot generates responses to guide them toward services. 

The program offers step-by-step suggestions. For example, when asked how to reach the Health Wagon, a free clinic in Wise that offers some mobile services, without transportation, it explains how to access Medicaid transportation benefits and suggests calling the facility directly for help.

To ensure accuracy, Gaublomme designed the system to cite its sources with each response. He also programmed it to rely only on existing information rather than generate new content.

“I think creating information is a big cause for concern where AI is concerned, especially as AI improves. I’ve done my best, I’ve done all that I can to make sure this information is accurate,” Gaublomme said.

Through Akalin’s classes, Gaublomme also understands the ethical problems of data collection in an AI-powered tool, especially in health care. 

“You can have good intent, but is it typical to have access [to information] like this, especially in health care? That’s a big item that we are discussing in my class,” Akalin said. “There is no definite answer.”

University leaders also raised questions about data privacy. Gaublomme said Wise Care does not store personal health information, user inputs or responses. The system only retains the sources it uses to generate answers.

This year, Wise Care was selected as a semifinalist in the UVa Entrepreneurship Cup, placing in the top 40 of more than 300 student projects across multiple UVa departments in both Charlottesville and Wise. It was one of two ventures selected from UVA Wise.

Gaublomme said he hopes to continue building tools that benefit the region.

“I’m very proud to be a part of that,” he said. 

The tool is available to the public on the Wise Care website, but Gaublomme said usage has been limited so far. 

Akalin said integrating Wise Care into existing health systems could expand its impact, but doing so would require agreements with individual providers. Ongoing concerns about data privacy could make that process challenging.

Like many early-stage tools, Wise Care will likely evolve through user feedback.

“With this type of product, it’s never the best product at once. So if you can keep improving the product based on feedback, then it’s going to be a really good product,” Akalin said. 

Gaublomme is set to transfer to the main UVa campus in Charlottesville next year, but he said his commitment to Southwest Virginia will continue. 

“Moving from an urban area to a more rural area, this was definitely a shift for me. Now that I’ve become more accustomed to it, I’ve found a deep appreciation for the area. While I’m here I want to do as much as I can and be a positive influence,” Gaublomme said.