Chaitu Dandu, MD, a vascular surgery resident, and Jonathan Tefera, MD, an interventional radiology resident, received two awards for their spatial computing platform, Live Unified Model for Endovascular Navigation (LUMEN). The team received a $50,000 second-place prize at the 2026 Yale Health AI Symposium Innovation Pitch Competition and a $4,500 first-place award at the Yale Innovation Summit’s Health Track.
Built on Apple Vision Pro, LUMEN integrates real-time fluoroscopic imaging into a head-mounted display, allowing surgeons to visualize intraoperative imaging directly within their field of view without shifting attention to external monitors. By reducing reliance on external screens, the platform helps maintain sterility, decreases cognitive burden, and improves procedural efficiency.
LUMEN addresses longstanding challenges in endovascular navigation, including operator ergonomics and maintaining situational awareness during complex procedures.
“Complex angiograms can compromise posture, increase cognitive load, and create friction across teams at critical procedural moments,” says Dandu. “LUMEN offers improved ergonomics and a simplified workflow that allows operators to keep their attention focused on procedural decisions.”
The awards highlight LUMEN’s potential to improve clinical care and growing interest from Yale’s innovation ecosystem, as well as investors and industry leaders focused on advancing healthcare technologies.
LUMEN’s development at Yale is supported through the mentorship of Edouard Aboian, MD, associate professor of surgery (Vascular Surgery), and Julius Chapiro, MD, PhD, associate professor of radiology, digestive diseases, and biomedical imaging.
Beyond LUMEN, the team’s ongoing research explores the use of extended reality and 3D modeling across additional areas of procedural planning and surgical education.