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Sarah Hilkert Rodriguez is an assistant professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at the University of Chicago Medicine. Her research focuses on the development of innovative tools, such as a smartphone application designed to prevent blindness in premature infants. Rodriguez received a $65,000 career-starter research grant from the Knights Templar Eye Foundation for a study examining the app 'Baby Moves,' which allows parents to record two to three-minute videos of their babies for analysis. This project aims to predict neurocognitive delays in infants screened for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a disorder that can lead to blindness. She collaborates with co-investigator Colleen Peyton, a physical therapist, to compare responses from 400 preemies and recommend early interventions for at-risk infants. Rodriguez emphasizes the importance of effective treatment options to save vision in infants at high risk for ROP, referencing the case of pop-soul singer Stevie Wonder as a poignant example of the potential consequences of untreated ROP.
Department of Philosophy