Blockchain has become a hot topic in connection to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Its ability to provide security for a wide variety of technological applications such as cloud and IoT has only now being recognized. Blockchain experts are aiming to make blockchain’s distributed ledger technology available to different verticals and industries.

In this context, Old Dominion University Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Centre (VMASC) and Sentara Healthcare have come together to integrate blockchain and healthcare security to enhance Sentara’s existing security systems. The new blockchain integrated security systems will be able to monitor mobile devices and track their activities. Sachin Shetty, a cybersecurity researcher and associate professor at the ODU is at the center of this project. Shetty aims to detect and monitor rogue devices on the network and provide real-time information on its activities, taking medical robotics to a new level of sophistication.

This project is said to be a great example of a University and a major healthcare organization joining forces to work on a practical challenge and solve an everyday problem. The health market will reap huge benefits from this project. Currently being researched at the Air Force Research Lab, they have been able to come up with a working concept of how data can be tracked through blockchain-enabled data provenance system.

The three-year-old project is set to strengthen cybersecurity for Sentara Healthcare and secure healthcare research portfolios at VMASC. With the help of blockchain security, they aim to keep track of unauthorized access to the data and remotely solve problems with rogue devices. Sentara considers ODU as the trusted consulting partner and intends to develop their interoperability strategies with blockchain security.

Officials from both the organizations look forward to reaping opportunities from the ODU-Sentara relationship.