AIM-AHEAD

Promoting community engagement around AI/ML awareness in underserved settings, and knowledge among community health stakeholders.

CTSI's Community Engagement and Research Program (CERP) team members Dr. Keith Norris and Dr. Alejandra Casillas co-lead the NIH's West Hub of the AIM-AHEAD consortium, the Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Consortium to Advance Health Equity and Researcher Diversity.

About

Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Consortium to Advance Health Equity and Researcher Diversity (AIM-AHEAD) – West Hub

Partnering institutions

• UCLA Office of Data and Innovation
• Providence Medical Research Center
• Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (LAC DHS)
• Charles Drew University

Study objective and aims

• The Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Consortium to Advance Health Equity and Researcher Diversity, or AIM-AHEAD, is a program of the National Institutes of Health. Artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) tools and capabilities have the potential to improve health equity. However, many historically underrepresented communities have not been engaged in AI/ML training, research, and infrastructure development leading to the creation of harmful biases within AI/ML that inadvertently deepen health disparities. AIM-AHEAD was developed to establish mutually beneficial, coordinated, and trusted partnerships to enhance the participation and representation of researchers and communities currently underrepresented in the development of AI/ML with the goal of improving the capabilities of this emerging technology, beginning with electronic health records (EHR) and extending to other diverse data to address health disparities and inequities. Underrepresented communities have untapped potential to contribute new expertise, data, recruitment strategies, and cutting-edge science to the AI/ML field. The consortium program seeks to increase the participation and engagement of the researchers and communities that are currently underrepresented in AI/ML modeling and applications through mutually beneficial partnerships.
• AIM-AHEAD West Hub: The purpose of the West Hub is to promote community engagement around AI/ML awareness in underserved settings, and knowledge among community health stakeholders. The consortium achieves this by partnering with community-based organizations and safety net health systems in the western areas of AIM-AHEAD. The Western Hub also supports pilot projects with PI’s affiliated with academic and community organizations in the AIM-AHEAD Western region. AIM-AHEAD West Hub is thankful for the CTSI Community Engagement and Research Program, which provides administrative support. The AIM-AHEAD West Hub team includes Keith C. Norris, MD, PhD; Alejandra Casillas, MD, MSHS; Susanne Nicholas, MD, MPH, PhD; Arleen Brown, MD, PhD; Douglas Bell, MD, PhD; Alex Bui, PhD; Anders Garlid, PhD; Sinha Satyesh, PhD; Jenny Shen, MD; Christian Cabunag, MPP; Jachael Gardner, MPH.

Study/Project Websites

• AIM-AHEAD Website
• NIH AIM-AHEAD Website

Pilot Project: CURE-CKD

This collaborative was established to assess the incidence, prevalence, and care of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in two healthcare systems. An infrastructure was created to facilitate and leverage the longstanding research and quality improvement expertise within both the Providence and UCLA systems. We efficiently conduct studies with “Big Data,” derived from electronic health records, to jointly advance awareness, detection, action, and research for CKD. This approach serves dual purposes of informing about the clinical care delivered to patients with, or at-risk for, CKD and producing new knowledge to address unmet needs for this major public health problem.

Providence and UCLA have developed the analytic-ready dataset, governance, legal structure, and technology necessary for intersystem collaborative research. State-of-the-art data analytics are used to rigorously model exposures, risks, and outcomes relevant to CKD. Ultimately, system-level interventions will be tested to enhance quality of care and improve clinical outcomes, while judiciously managing utilization and costs, for some of our most vulnerable patients. As a result, people with, or at-risk for, kidney diseases will have longer and better lives.

Learn more about CURE-CKD