Events

XR Pediatrics hosts the “XR for Behavioral Health” workshop at IEEE ISMAR 2026 in Bari, Italy. The workshop brings together researchers and practitioners working at the intersection of extended reality and behavioral health to discuss physiological sensing, health behavior change through game technologies, and responsible co-design with vulnerable populations. The workshop is scheduled for October 6, 2026. Learn more here.

We had a great time at New Haven Pride on October 3, 2026! We hosted a VR relaxation booth at the Pride Center’s Health and Wellness Village, where we had the chance to meet and connect with community members. It was wonderful to see everyone come together to celebrate Pride, and we were happy to be part of the event!

The Arborist (developed by Dr. Shu Wei and team) was selected for the Yale Innovation Summit Art Pitch, showcasing the project to a multidisciplinary audience of innovators, artists, entrepreneurs, and investors. The selection provided an opportunity to share how immersive storytelling can foster reflection, dialogue, and meaningful experiences through extended reality.

Drs. Kimberly Hieftje and Deepa Camenga, and our postgrad associate, Palomi Kurade, facilitated a workshop titled “Immersive Technology-Driven Strategies to Incorporate Healthy Coping and Emotion Regulation Skills into Cannabis and Nicotine Vaping 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. Learn more here.

Amoriem Labs, Yale’s undergraduate game development club led by our student collaborator Chris Shia, visited the lab to learn how immersive technologies are being used in pediatric health research. During the visit, students explored examples of VR, AR, and MR projects and learned how these tools are used to design, test, and evaluate health interventions for children and families.

The XRPeds team led a week-long workshop for the Yale Pathways to Science Summer Scholars Program, engaging high school students in exploring how immersive technologies can be used for health and societal impact. Titled “Yale Center for Immersive Technologies: Leveraging Video Games and Immersive Technologies for Societal Good,” the workshop introduced students to the full lifecycle of extended reality (XR) -based interventions, from concept development to real-world implementation. Participants gained hands-on experience with cutting-edge XR devices and learned how user-centered design can address pressing public health challenges.

Throughout the program, students worked in teams to design their own XR solutions to real-world health problems, applying principles of user-centered design and interdisciplinary collaboration. The workshop culminated in student project presentations, showcasing innovative ideas that reflected both technical creativity and a strong commitment to improving health outcomes.

Dr. Veronica Weser co-presented a workshop titled “Let's Get Real: Using Virtual and Extended Reality for IPC Training and Education” at APIC24 Annual Conference and Exposition on 4^th June, alongside Infection Preventionist Dr. Andrea S. Greenfield and Program Manager Chloe V. Green from the Massachusetts General Hospital. The workshop team described foundational principles of the use of VR in healthcare training as well as their experience building and piloting VR infection prevention and control (IPC) training for healthcare professionals (HCP).

XR Pediatrics was thrilled to host the Inaugural Virtual Reality and Pediatrics Healthcare Symposium on September 19 and 20 at the Yale West Campus in West Haven, CT, in partnership with the International Virtual Reality and Healthcare Association. This two-day symposium featured talks and demos from more than 30 leaders in care, technology, research, and policy.

Visit the team at our booth in the 2022 showcase for the CT Association of School Based Health Centers on November 8, 2022 in Southbury CT.