XRPeds

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, “Vaping to Cope: A Qualitative Study of Middle School Students’ Perceptions of the Mental Health Impacts of Ni****ne and Cannabis Vaping,” 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

07/30/2025

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

07/28/2025

Dr. Kimberly Hieftje had the privilege to by interviewed by Drs. Jessica Stone and Adam Baldowski for their podcast, MHVR Bytes.

Dr. Adam Baldowski is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor specializing in sexual trauma, dissociative disorders, life transition, and LGBTQIA+ experiences using narrative and geek therapy.

Dr. Jessica Stone is a licensed psychologist whose interest is in digital therapy tools, such as VR and tablets, for clinical mental health use and research. She is the co-creator, CEO, and CPO of the Virtual Sandtray app for iPad and VR.

Their podcast, MHVR Bytes, explores how VR is transforming mental health through expert interviews, real-life stories, and cutting-edge research. Check out Kim on Episode 7 (https://youtu.be/l8qLKYxUT_0) where she talks about transforming grief through narrative experiences and immersive healing in her game, Year of the Cicadas.

Yale Pediatrics
Yale School of Medicine

07/24/2025

Had an amazing time hosting the Yale Pathways to Science students this year! They explored immersive tech, learned the game design process from user-centered design to behavior change to accessibility and inclusion, and even pitched their own game ideas to solve real-world problems. Inspiring work from future changemakers! 🎮

Yale Pediatrics
Yale School of Medicine

07/22/2025

Dr. Veronica Weser will be moderating a panel titled, "Getting Real Clean: Immersive, Interactive, and Gamified Training for Infection Control" as a part of MedVR's talk series. Joined by Dr. Erica S. Shenoy (MGB), Michelle Jerry (MGH), Vianelly Garcia (MGH), and Andrea Greenfield (MGH), the panel discusses why infection control training needs an infusion of innovative approaches, highlighting Shenoy and team's VR training modules.

The panel will take place, virtually, on July 30th at 12 PM EDT. Register here: https://medvr.io/online-talks/getting-real-clean-training-infection-control

Yale Pediatrics
Yale School of Medicine