2020 Michigan IT Symposium Spotlight 
IT & Public Health: MI Symptoms - Keeping Michigan Healthy
Presenters

• Kirtana Choragudi, College of Engineering, School of Public Health, & School of Information
• Michael Hayashi, School of Public Health
• Thomas Knox, College of Engineering

Just as classes moved online in spring 2020, a group of U-M College of Engineering students and staff came together and built a COVID-19 tool to keep thousands of Michiganders safe, while responding to the state’s rapidly evolving needs.

MI Symptoms is a COVID-19 symptom checker built by the University of Michigan College of Engineering in collaboration with the University of Michigan School of Public Health and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. This web application is currently in use by thousands of users and employers statewide, giving organizations an easy way to keep their workplaces safe. 

MI Symptoms data is then used by U-M and MDHHS epidemiologists to review potential COVID-19 hotspots and inform important public health research.The student team and technical advisors behind the project not only succeeded in helping to keep Michiganders safe but also successfully collaborated virtually in a crisis, while simultaneously coordinating with stakeholders at the State of Michigan and across U-M.

In this presentation, we will review the timeline of building MI Symptoms and consider which factors helped to bring this team together virtually to build this urgently needed tool.