Precision Health at the University of Michigan is joining forces with two other U-M health-focused initiatives under the brand of AI & Digital Health Innovation.
The new identity represents the initiative’s expanded services and its network of focused communities while reflecting a greater strategic move to unify research efforts at the intersection of artificial intelligence and health at U-M.
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Together, AI&DHI and its core communities, including the Michigan Genomics Initiative and e-Health & AI, or e-HAIL, are poised to enhance and accelerate novel AI and digital health solutions universitywide.
“AI & Digital Health Innovation brings together some of U-M’s foremost experts in not only the AI and healthcare spaces, but also in engineering, genetics and more,” said Steven Kunkel, executive vice dean for research and the Peter A. Ward Distinguished University Professor and Endowed Professor of Pathology Research at the Medical School, and chief scientific officer of Michigan Medicine.
“We’re excited to see the groundbreaking solutions that result from these collaborations.”
As of the launch, the AI&DHI collective combines the efforts of two core communities representing the diverse, high-impact areas of digital health research taking place across U-M:
- The Michigan Genomics Initiative, which brings together U-M physicians, researchers and patients under the goal of combining patient electronic health record data with corresponding genetic data to gain novel biomedical insights.
- E-Health & AI, which is a joint initiative between Michigan Medicine and the College of Engineering that fosters new multi-disciplinary collaborations between AI and health experts, supporting grant development to secure extramural funding.
Each AI&DHI community will continue to operate independently while benefiting from the shared resources and expertise of the broader collective. As AI&DHI grows, the group plans to welcome additional communities, further expanding its reach and impact.
“We are thrilled to become a community of AI&DHI and contribute our resources and expertise,” said Rada Mihalcea, co-lead convener of e-HAIL, director of Michigan AI, the Janice M. Jenkins Collegiate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, and professor of electrical engineering and computer science in CoE.
“Such collaborations are at the center of e-HAIL’s mission, and we welcome the expanded opportunity to successfully innovate on joint projects at the intersection of AI and health.”
“With e-HAIL becoming a part of AI & Digital Health Innovation, we now have at our core a community of researchers equally committed to advancing both AI and healthcare,” said Jenna Wiens, a co-director of AI&DHI and associate professor of computer science and engineering in CoE. “This integration will better align our efforts in developing additional data and computing resources, assisting faculty across Michigan Engineering and the university in advancing their research programs and competing for external funding.”
AI&DHI drives innovation by creating and providing cutting-edge resources that are accessible to all U-M researchers. These resources include:
- An extensive repository containing deidentified health data on more than 5 million U-M Health patients.
- A fully consented genetics dataset of more than 100,000 participants provided through MGI.
- Robust data storage and processing support for machine learning.
AI&DHI also helps teams integrate their AI/ML models into the clinical workflow for testing at Michigan Medicine by providing early implementation consultation, engaging with subject matter experts and creating pathways to navigate approvals needed from clinical operational governance committees.
Researchers looking to leverage one of AI&DHI’s core communities must become a member of that community but are welcome to join any number of core communities that align with their interests.
“Emphasizing core communities within a larger research network will allow us to maintain focus and engagement, and to promote deeper interdisciplinary ties across campus,” said Brahmajee Nallamothu, co-director of U-M Precision Health, co-advisory convener of e-HAIL, the Stevo Julius Research Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and professor of internal medicine in the Medical School.
“At the same time, the larger umbrella will enable us to deploy resources that will serve across these communities, such as a shared platform for computational needs or common processes for potential cohort recruitment. This multi-pronged approach will ensure that our resources and expertise are effectively harnessed to advance AI and digital health across diverse researchers.”
Precision Health was established in 2018 in response to the White House’s national Precision Medicine Initiative. In time, that initiative grew to involve more than 400 researchers from 75 U-M departments across 17 schools and colleges.
Today, U-M continues to foster a strong focus on the development of AI and on its thoughtful applications in healthcare. Marschall Runge, executive vice president for medical affairs, CEO of Michigan Medicine, and dean of the Medical School, shared his thoughts on how groups like AI&DHI will usher in the next generation of solutions at U-M.
“With its robust foundation in data services and secure computing resources, expertise in guiding clinical workflow implementation for AI/ML models, and a strong culture of multi-school and interdisciplinary collaboration, AI&DHI will drive critical efforts focused on health at U-M and contribute to the upcoming transformative initiatives that will place U-M as ‘leaders and best’ in AI for health,” Runge said.
