SE PhD Prospectus Defense: Jingmei Yang

TITLE: Large Language Model Applications for Public Health

ADVISOR: Ioannis Paschalidis (ECE, SE, BME)

COMMITTEE: Diane Joseph-Mccarthy (BME, Chem, MSE), Nahid Bhadelia (Medicine), Sandor Vajda (BME, SE, Chemistry)

ABSTRACT: Large Language Models (LLMs) are powerful general-purpose tools. The biomedical and healthcare domains, however, present unique, high-stakes challenges. General-purpose LLMs lack the deep, specialized knowledge required for these fields. Their responses are often unreliable for complex clinical or research applications. Adaptation is therefore essential to bridge the gap between general capabilities and domain-specific requirements. This dissertation demonstrates that adapting LLMs with domain-specific data and methods is critical for solving high-impact problems in bi...