Koomson wins Health Equity Accelerator grant

Associate Professor Valencia Koomson of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering recently won a Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) 2025 Health Equity Accelerator grant to support her work in bias-free pulse oximeter devices. Healthcare providers rely heavily on pulse oximeters to measure blood oxygen levels, but the devices are less effective on darker skin tones. According to a 2020 study in the New England Journal of Medicine, undetected hypoxemia was three times more likely to occur in Black patients due to inaccurate pulse oximeter readings. In 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety advisory warning of limitations in pulse oximeters for patients with dark skin pigmentation.

Koomson has spent the past several years developing and testing a pulse oximeter device that can provide precise measurements across all skin tones. Her approach uses multi-wavelength optical sensing and advanced signal processing algorithms to deliver precise readings. The device measures more than just blood oxygen levels, it can also provide readings for heart rate, respiration rate, and other vital signs. With a novel filtering technique that can take measurements even when the user is in motion, the technology is a good candidate for medical settings and at-home monitoring alike.  

With support from the MLSC grant, Koomson will test her device on a diverse range of patients at Tufts Medical Center, Boston Medical Center, and MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington DC. The Boston Medical Center presents a unique opportunity to test the device with sickle cell anemia patients, which is a disease that requires frequent oxygen level monitoring and disproportionately affects Black people. Koomson will compare readings from her device to standard pulse oximeters and to arterial blood gas analysis (an invasive but highly accurate method) to assess the effectiveness of her device. Her testing will go beyond current FDA requirements and evaluate performance for six different skin tone levels to ensure accuracy across a wide population.

The current testing builds on a wealth of previous research from Koomson’s Advanced Integrated Circuits and Systems lab at Tufts. The initial proof-of-concept device was created with support from Tufts University and the National Institutes of Health Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Consortium to Advance Health Equity and Researcher Diversity. In 2023 her team was one of three finalists in a global Device Performance Challenge to improve pulse oximeters. In the same year, Koomson and her PhD student Ravi Durbha received a first prize award for their advanced wearable oximetry sensor at the IEEE BioCAS Conference. More recently, the team was recognized with the Stephen and Geraldine Ricci Prize in the Tufts New Ventures Competition. 

The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) drives the development of new therapies, devices, and scientific advancements to improve patient health and well-being in Massachusetts and around the world. Through the Health Equity Accelerator program, the MLSC supports projects that are designed to address unmet healthcare needs, reduce disparities, and promote health equity.

Learn more about Associate Professor Valencia Koomson.