About the Grant
Tulane University and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette have been awarded a prestigious grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) AIM-AHEAD program, which fosters collaborative partnerships to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) models using electronic health record (EHR) data.
The funded project, “Trustworthy, Community-Guided AI for Culturally Adaptive Patient Education on Diabetes-Related Risks,” aims to design, develop, and evaluate voice-based conversational agents to support patients receiving care in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and academic clinics. This research will generate evidence-based principles for creating conversational AI tools that effectively serve diverse and underserved populations.
About the Project
Voice-based conversational agents have advanced rapidly, yet a critical question remains: How well do these systems perform when personalized for real-world patient needs? True personalization requires more than advanced algorithms—it demands interdisciplinary collaboration across human-centered design, AI, natural language processing, clinical practice, and public health.
A successful solution must account for a patient’s medical data, health literacy, cultural background, and lived experiences. Without these considerations, tools risk functioning well in controlled environments but failing to engage—or even alienating—the vulnerable populations they are intended to help.
Project Leadership
Congratulations to the research team leading this initiative:
- Aron Culotta, PhD – Principal Investigator; Nicholas J. Altiero Professor of Computer Science; Director, Jurist Center for Artificial Intelligence; Director, Center for Community-Engaged Artificial Intelligence, Tulane University
- Raju Gottumukkala, PhD – Director, Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence; Director of Research, Informatics Research Institute; IRI/BORSF Professorship in Applied AI; Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
- Lizheng Shi, PhD, MsPharm, MA – Neal A. and Mary Vanselow Chair in Health Management and Policy; Director, Health Systems Analytics Research Center, Tulane University
- Vivian A. Fonseca, MD, FRCP – Assistant Dean for Clinical Research; Chief, Endocrinology; Professor, Tullis-Tulane Alumni Chair–Diabetes, Tulane University
- Ravi Teja Bhupatiraju, MBBS, PhD – Health Informatics Research Scientist, Center for Applied AI, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
- Scott Sittig, PhD, MHI, RHIA – Associate Professor, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
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