All Key Research Areas

Artificial Intelligence Virtual Assistant (AIVA) platform

Our research explores the role of artificial intelligence in patient education, with a focus on enhancing postoperative care and patient engagement through AI-driven virtual assistants.

Overview

Traditional patient education methods, such as verbal instructions, printed materials, and patient portals, often fail to provide consistent, personalized, and accessible support, leading to increased patient confusion, higher healthcare utilization, and provider burden. To address these gaps, we investigate the integration of AI-powered virtual agents that leverage retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and large language models (LLMs) to deliver accurate, context-aware, and readily available medical information.

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Focus

One of our key research areas involves the development and implementation of AI Virtual Assistants (AIVAs) tailored to the needs of surgical patients. AIVAs provide interactive, real- time, and personalized responses to common postoperative questions, reducing reliance on provider-led communication and improving patient comprehension of post-surgical care. AIVA Platform enables the deployment of virtual assistants and AI Agents, including AI Avatars, into the clinical practice.

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Testing

By integrating AI virtual agents into patient education, we aim to bridge critical gaps in postoperative care, enhance patient self-management, and alleviate the administrative burden on healthcare providers. Our research continues to explore how AI- driven conversational agents can be adapted to various clinical scenarios, ensuring scalable, accessible, and high-quality patient support across diverse medical disciplines.

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Representative Studies: 

Boczar D, Sisti A, Oliver JD, Helmi H, Restrepo DJ, Huayllani MT, Spaulding AC, Carter R, Rinker BD, Forte AJ. Artificial Intelligent Virtual Assistant for Plastic Surgery Patient’s Frequently Asked Questions: A Pilot Study. Ann Plast Surg. 2020 Apr; 84 (4):e16-e21 DOI: 10.1097/SAP.0000000000002252

Avila FR, Boczar D, Spaulding AC, Quest DJ, Samanta A, Torres-Guzman RA, Maita KC, Garcia JP, Eldaly AS, Forte AJ. High Satisfaction With a Virtual Assistant for Plastic Surgery Frequently Asked Questions. Aesthet Surg J. 2023 Mar 15;43(4):494-503. doi: 10.1093/asj/sjac290

Borna S, Gomez-Cabello CA, Pressman SM, Haider SA, Sehgal A, Leibovich BC, Cole D, Forte AJ. Comparative Analysis of Artificial Intelligence Virtual Assistant and Large Language Models in Post-Operative Care. Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ. 2024 May 15; 14 (5):1413-1424 DOI: 10.3390/ejihpe14050093

Gomez-Cabello CA, Borna S, Pressman SM, Haider SA, Sehgal A, Leibovich BC, Forte AJ. Artificial Intelligence in Postoperative Care: Assessing Large Language Models for Patient Recommendations in Plastic Surgery. Healthcare (Basel). 2024 May 24; 12 (11) DOI:10.3390/healthcare12111083

Genovese A, Prabha S, Borna S, Gomez-Cabello CA, Haider SA, Trabilsy M, Tao C, Aziz KT, Murray PM, Forte AJ. Artificial Intelligence for Patient Support: Assessing Retrieval-Augmented Generation for Answering Postoperative Rhinoplasty Questions. Aesthet Surg J. 2025 Jun 16;45(7):735-744. doi: 10.1093/asj/sjaf038.

Haider SA, Prabha S, Gomez Cabello CA, Genovese A, Collaco B, Wood N, London J, Bagaria S, Tao C, Forte AJ. The Development and Evaluation of a Retrieval-Augmented Generation Large Language Model Virtual Assistant for Postoperative Instructions. Bioengineering (Basel). 2025 Nov 7;12(11):1219. doi: 10.3390/bioengineering12111219.

Haider SA, Prabha S, Gomez-Cabello CA, Genovese A, Collaco B, Wood N, Lifson MA, Bagaria S, Tao C, Forte AJ. Artificial Intelligence Physician Avatars for Patient Education: A Pilot Study. J Clin Med. 2025 Dec 4;14(23):8595. doi: 10.3390/jcm14238595.

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