Smart Steps Forward

Texas Tech Health El Paso, UTEP Developing Smartphone-Based AI Tool to Improve Diagnosis of Frequent Ankle Sprains

Joint Project Funded by $40,000 Sobel-Duncan Border Health Research Award

Researchers at Texas Tech Health El Paso and The University of Texas at El Paso are developing a new smartphone-based tool that uses artificial intelligence to improve the diagnosis of chronic ankle instability (CAI), thanks to a $40,000 Sobel-Duncan Border Health Research Award.

Ankle sprains are among the most common injuries in sports and everyday activities. Seventy percent of cases lead to CAI, which can cause repeated sprains, balance problems and even early arthritis. Hispanic communities in our Borderplex face higher risks from this type of injury due to higher obesity rates. Also, Hispanic communities may experience delays in diagnosis due to language barriers and limited access to specialized care.

The project, Reducing Health Disparities in Chronic Ankle Instability Diagnosis Among Hispanic Populations Using AI and Smartphone-Based Biomechanical Tools, aims to improve CAI diagnosis by making it more accurate, affordable and accessible through gait analysis using smartphone video.

By teaching AI to interpret patterns of motion and force that normally require costly lab equipment, researchers hope to create a simple app that clinicians can use in any setting. This innovation could reduce health disparities and help deliver timely care to high-risk populations — using nothing more than two smartphones instead of nearly $200,000 worth of equipment.

Colby M. Genrich, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Texas Tech Health El Paso’s Department of Family and Community Medicine, is part of the research team, which also includes Jaeyoung Cho, Ph.D., assistant professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at UTEP, and lead investigator Jaeho Jang, Ph.D., assistant professor in the UTEP Department of Kinesiology.

“Receiving the Sobel-Duncan Border Health Research Award is deeply meaningful because it recognizes what a partnership between Texas Tech Health El Paso and UTEP can achieve by advancing musculoskeletal health,” Dr. Genrich said. “Chronic ankle instability affects athletes and non-athletes alike, and this award allows us to combine expertise and technology to create diagnostic tools that make care more accurate and accessible for all patients.”

Dr. Genrich noted that traditional diagnosis of chronic ankle instability depends on patient surveys and clinician observation, and can be subjective and influenced by language or literacy barriers.

“By using smartphone motion capture and AI-driven analysis, we can detect subtle biomechanical changes with accuracy comparable to lab systems — but in a way that’s affordable and accessible to any clinic,” Dr. Genrich said.

While the research on CAI is just beginning, Dr. Jang already sees broader possibilities.

“We want to expand this technology to patients recovering from anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction or even shoulder injuries,” Dr. Jang said.

Established in 2022, the annual Sobel-Duncan Border Health Research Award supports faculty research that addresses health disparities in the Paso del Norte region and other U.S.-Mexico border communities.

The award was made possible by two longtime Texas educators and researchers: Annette Sobel, M.D., M.S., who serves as an adjunct professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, as well as in the Department of Medical Education and the School of Nursing at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock; and Robert Duncan, Ph.D., professor and president’s distinguished chair in physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, also at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Together, they contributed $100,000 over five years to support faculty research projects at both UTEP and Texas Tech Health El Paso.

About Texas Tech Health El Paso

Texas Tech Health El Paso serves 108 counties in West Texas and is dedicated to preparing the next generation of health care heroes. Established as an independent university in 2013, Texas Tech Health El Paso is a uniquely innovative destination for medical, nursing, biomedical sciences and dental education.

Focusing on excellence in health care education, research, and clinical service, Texas Tech Health El Paso has graduated over 2,600 professionals since 2013, including its first cohort of dental graduates in 2025. For more information, visit ttuhscepimpact.org.

About The University of Texas at El Paso

The University of Texas at El Paso is America’s leading Hispanic-serving university. Located at the westernmost tip of Texas, where three states and two countries converge along the Rio Grande, 84% of our 26,000 students are Hispanic, and more than half are the first in their families to go to college. UTEP offers 171 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access, top-tier research university in America.