New Gillings School center will leverage AI for improved public health

September 16, 2024

The UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health has launched the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Public Health (CAIPH), a new initiative focused on the future of artificial intelligence (AI) at the Gillings School.

CAIPH will serve as a hub for innovation, where ideas are cultivated, tested and implemented to improve population health outcomes using AI-driven approaches in North Carolina and globally. It aims to address pressing global health challenges using AI; draw on the school’s interdisciplinary expertise in public health, bioinformatics, biostatistics, epidemiology and computer science; and empower outstanding interdisciplinary AI research that optimizes public health.

In particular, the center will focus on the use of AI to solve challenges related to climate and environmental health, health behavior, health policy and economics, and precision public health. Researchers at the center will work closely with collaborators across UNC-Chapel Hill, including the UNC School of Data Science and Society.

“There are vital issues in public health that could benefit from the support of AI,” said Dean Nancy Messonnier, MD, Bryson Distinguished Professor in Public Health, “and through this center, we want to encourage their exploration with the ultimate goal of accelerating research and improving health outcomes locally and globally.”

“The Gillings School already has emerging excellence in scholarship leveraging AI to improve public health,” said Kari North, PhD, associate dean for research. “We are excited to assemble that talent at the school in this center to further foster UNC’s footprint in AI locally and globally.”

The Gillings School has several exciting projects in AI that are already transforming health locally. Will Vizuete, PhD, professor in environmental sciences and engineering, is leading research using AI to provide fast and accurate air quality information to the citizens of North Carolina – a project that can help prevent poor air quality-related morbidity and mortality in the state.

Last year, the School also awarded Gillings Innovation Labs funding to six faculty members using generative AI to solve multidisciplinary public health challenges, including cervical cancer screening in Malawi, decision-making around HIV treatment, modeling for brain-related disorders, behavior change for weight management, poor air quality and standards of primary care in marginalized populations around the world.

Dr. Michael Kosorok

CAIPH will be led by Michael Kosorok, PhD, W.R. Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor in biostatistics. In his own research, Kosorok has been working with Jeff Stringer, MD, FACOG, professor at the UNC School of Medicine, to use AI to accurately predict gestational age with inexpensive ultrasounds that can be used by sonographers in under-resourced settings with only brief training.

“I am thrilled and humbled to lead this new center,” Kosorok said. “I look forward to collaborating with my associates in the Gillings School to increase the use of AI to solve public health challenges and to advance AI use in health research.”

“We are immensely proud of the strong reputation the Gillings School has in data science and biostatistics,” said Michael Hudgens, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Biostatistics. “Our expertise in these fields is a cornerstone of the new Center for AI and Public Health. By leveraging our advanced analytical capabilities and innovative research, we are poised to make significant contributions to public health through the application of artificial intelligence. This center will not only enhance our understanding of complex health data but also drive impactful solutions to global health challenges.”

For more information, please visit the CAIPH website.

Contact the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health communications team at sphcomm@unc.edu.