Michael C.K. Khoo

Dean's Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Pediatrics
Education
- 1976, Bachelor's Degree, Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College
- Doctoral Degree, Biomedical Engineering, Harvard University
- Master's Degree, Other Engineering, Harvard University
Biography
Dr. Michael Khoo is Dean's Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Pediatrics. He earned his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at the Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London. He obtained his MS and PhD degrees in bioengineering from Harvard University. Following a couple of years of postdoctoral work, he joined the faculty of the University of Southern California in 1983. He served as Department Chair of Biomedical Engineering and Co-Director of Education and Outreach for the USC Biomimetic Microelectronic Systems Engineering Research Center from 2003 to 2010. Dr. Khoo is a Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society, the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, IEEE, and the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering. He is a member of the American Physiological Society, Sleep Research Society and American Heart Association. He was a member of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) Administrative Committee, Chair of the 2012 EMBS International Conference, and Vice-President for Conferences of the EMBS from 2014 to 2017. He has been the recipient of an NIH Research Career Development Award and an American Lung Association Career Development Award.
Research Summary
The cumulative evidence suggests that people with sleep-related breathing disorders, such as sleep apnea, are more likely to develop various forms of cardiovascular disease as well as Type 2 diabetes. Understanding the physiological mechanisms that link sleep apnea to cardiovascular autonomic and metabolic dysfunction forms the primary focus of Dr. Khoo's research interests. Sleep apnea involves the dynamic interaction of three major physiological control systems: respiratory, cardiovascular and sleep regulation - over a longer time scale, glucose-insulin regulation is also affected. To delineate cause from effect in the complex dynamics that arise from these interactions, Dr. Khoo's group employs a combination of "structured" (or parametric) modeling and closed-loop minimal modeling approaches to analyze and interpret physiological data obtained from noninvasive studies in humans. These approaches require the application of control theory, system identification techniques and computer simulation. The Khoo laboratory collaborates closely with physician-scientists and physiologists from Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles, USC Keck School of Medicine and Harvard University. Recent research studies have focused on the issue of phenotyping the various forms of sleep-related breathing disorders in obese children using a combination of computational modeling and dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (in collaboration with Drs. Nayak and Narayanan from the USC Electrical Engineering Department). His laboratory is also working on the development of improved noninvasive methodologies for predicting vaso-occlusive crises in patients with sickle-cell disease.
Awards
- 2016 International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering Fellow
- 2015 IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Vice President, Conferences 2016-2017
- 2012 IEEE Fellow, Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society
- 2010 IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society AdCom Membership
- 2005 Fellow, Biomedical Engineering Society
Appointments
- Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
- Pediatrics/Childrens Hospital
Office
- DRB 140
- Corwin D. Denney Research Center
- 1042 Downey Way, Los Angeles, CA 90089
- USC Mail Code: 1111
Contact Information
- (213) 740-0347
- khoo@usc.edu