XRPeds

04/20/2026

Drs. Kimberly Hieftje and Deepa Camenga, and our Postgrad Associate, Palomi Kurade, will conduct a workshop titled “Immersive Technology-Driven Strategies to Incorporate Healthy Coping and Emotion Regulation Skills into Cannabis and Ni****ne Va**ng Prevention Curricula” at the Annual Virtual Cannabis Awareness and Prevention Conference hosted by the Halpern-Felsher REACH Lab at Stanford Medicine on April 22, 2026 from 12:25 PM – 1:35 PM ET.

Yale School of Medicine
Yale Pediatrics

04/17/2026

Huge news! The Cutie was recognized as a 2026 EdTech Awards Cool Tool Finalist in the VR/AR Solution category. 🏆✨

We’re honored to see our VR intervention recognized for empowering NICU parents to lead the way in hygiene safety and protect their newborns.

Yale School of Medicine
Yale Pediatrics

04/15/2026

Dr. Veronica Weser will present a talk entitled “Chopsticks, Tennis Rackets, and Canes: What Tool Experts Reveal About Embodiment” at 2pm as part of the Sports Neuroscience Breakout Session. The International Symposium on Embodied Cognition (ISEC 2026) will bring together leading researchers, clinicians, educators, and students to explore the dynamic connections among body, brain, and behavior.

Yale Pediatrics
Yale School of Medicine

04/09/2026

Postgraduate Associate, Palomi Kurade, represents XR Pediatrics at the 2026 Society for Research on Ni****ne and To***co Conference, showcasing our latest work on Invite Only VR!

📃Evaluating a Virtual-Reality Video Game for Ni****ne and Cannabis E-Cigarette Prevention in Middle School Students

💬Va**ng to Cope: A Qualitative Study of Middle School Students’ Perceptions of the Mental Health Impacts of Ni****ne and Cannabis Va**ng

Yale School of Medicine
Yale Pediatrics

03/01/2026

Postgraduate Associate, Palomi Kurade, will present findings from our DPH- and NIH-funded Invite Only VR va**ng prevention program evaluation at the 2026 SRNT Annual Meeting.

On Friday, March 6, 2026 at 5 PM, she will present her poster, “Evaluating a Virtual-Reality Video Game for Ni****ne and Cannabis E-Cigarette Prevention in Middle School Students,” highlighting feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy findings from a VR-based prevention pilot trial.

On Saturday, March 7, 2026 at 9 AM, she will deliver a paper presentation, “Va**ng to Cope: A Qualitative Study of Middle School Students’ Perceptions of the Mental Health Impacts of Ni****ne and Cannabis Va**ng,” examining how early adolescents perceive va**ng as a strategy for managing stress and emotional distress.

Yale School of Medicine
Yale Pediatrics

02/27/2026

Dr. Asher Marks as a panelist at the YSM Time Series: XR and 3D Technologies in Education!



Yale School of Medicine
Yale Pediatrics

02/20/2026

YSM's Educational Technology & Innovation team invites you to a roundtable discussion on XR and 3D Technologies in Education.

We're proud to have XRPeds Co-Director, Asher Marks, MD, joining the panel alongside colleagues from across the university. Topics will include implementation, immersive learning design, accessibility, ethics, and emerging trends, followed by an open Q&A.

TODAY, February 20 · 2:30–4:00 PM · Cohen Auditorium · Light refreshments provided.

https://medicine.yale.edu/event/ysm-time-series-xr-and-3d-technologies-in-education/

Yale School of Medicine Yale Pediatrics

02/19/2026

As part of the University Towers lecture series, Dr. Veronica Weser will share her insights into the history of VR technology, provide case examples from research, training, and education, and finally discuss speculation about the possible future widescale public adoption of immersive technology and AI-enabled glasses. At the conclusion of the lecture, Dr. Weser will be providing VR demos to anyone who wants to try on a headset!

10/28/2025

Guess who was in Korea earlier this month? 🇰🇷

Our lab members, Dr. Kimberly Hieftje and Michael Gancz, traveled to Daejeon, Korea, to share their work at two international conferences!

Dr. Hieftje demoed Year of the Cicadas at ISMAR 2025. One of the highlights was the collective creation of the cicada “remembrance tree.” Participants were invited to name a cicada after someone they’ve loved and lost, and added it to the tree—and many did.

Meanwhile, Michael presented their poster at ISMIR 2025, also held in Daejeon. Their presentation, “Spatial Perception of HRTF-Matched Binaural Audio,” shared early results from a study quantifying listeners’ ability to localize sounds in near-field virtual space.

Yale Pediatrics

08/12/2025

New publication!💡

Our latest paper examines how AI and immersive technologies like VR and AR can help reduce disparities in pediatric and AYA oncology. We explore their potential to improve diagnosis, treatment, and support while ensuring innovation reaches all patients.

🔗 Full article: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pbc.31909

Yale Pediatrics

08/11/2025

Our team members will be at Serious Play this week! We hope to see you there!

Catch us at Serious Play this year! The conference is located in Rochester, NY and will take place August 13-15th. We have two talks this year that you won't want to miss:

August 13th | 10:45 AM: Dr. Shu Wei will be presenting a talk titled, "Beyond Pulse: Biometric XR for Health & Art." Her talk examines how biometrics are revolutionizing gamified XR experiences in healthcare and the arts, highlighting applications in mental health therapy, early substance use detection, and collaborative artistic expression. Through three case studies, it bridges scientific research with creative innovation using biofeedback in mixed reality.

August 13th | 2 PM: Drs. Asher Marks and Kimberly Hieftje will be presenting their talk, "Future of Immersive Technology in Serious Games." Their talk presents expert consensus on responsible XR design for children, addressing how these technologies can affect their development and offering guidelines for ethical, child-centered implementation. It highlights both the potential benefits like pain management and social connection and the risks of poorly designed or unsupervised XR use.

Yale School of Medicine
Yale Pediatrics

08/05/2025

In this powerful feature, written by Eva Cornman, XRPeds Co-Director, Dr. Kimberly Hieftje, channels personal grief into helping others navigate their own. She explores the intersection of loss, healing, and the unexpected comfort found in nature, even in the hum of cicadas.

Full article: https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/death-grief-and-cicadas-how-a-mother-is-helping-others-navigate-loss/

Yale Pediatrics
Yale School of Medicine