Zamora-Kapoor is awarded the AIM-AHEAD Fellowship Program in Leadership!
Posted: 10/19/2023 (CSDE Research)
CSDE Affiliate Dr. Anna Zamora-Kapoor (Sociology and Department of Medical Education and Clinical Sciences at Washington State) has received the AIM-AHEAD Fellowship Program in Leadership, to master new skills in artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve health equity. Dr. Zamora-Kapoor plans to use this opportunity to partner with Hispanic-serving clinics and understand their attitudes towards artificial intelligence and machine learning. This first step is critical to develop future studies that can leverage the strengths of artificial intelligence and machine learning in clinical settings and improve health outcomes among Hispanics in Washington state.
The AIM-AHEAD Fellowship Program in Leadership engages a diverse group of participants from under-represented populations to actively participate in mentored didactic and experiential educational activities to acquire the leadership competencies necessary to promote and achieve the strategic imperatives of AIM-AHEAD. The overarching goal of AIM-AHEAD is to increase the participation and engagement of researchers and communities currently underrepresented in AI/ML to utilize the power of AI/ML to achieve health equity through mutually beneficial partnerships. It has become clear, however, even in the early stages of this initiative, that AI/ML lacks diverse researchers and underrepresented communities of practice. The acquisition of AI/ML skills by individuals from these diverse backgrounds, that extend AI/ML beyond academic settings and into the community, promises to improve the science and increase the availability of relevant data. Yet technical competence alone does not assure the continued expansion and adoption of AI/ML among the populations of interest. It requires talented people of color and disadvantage from diverse settings sufficiently conversant in AI/ML to translate its promise for advancing health equity and who, in turn, can attract others to join in this common agenda.
This Leadership Fellowship program seeks to prepare tomorrow’s leaders to champion the use of AI/ML in addressing persistent health disparities in ways that develop the human capital to promote continued engagement, adoption, and expansion of AI/ML at the level of programs, systems, and policies. Leadership Fellows are matched with mentors based on AI/ML expertise, leadership experience, and sector.