A team of faculty from multiple departments at Fayetteville State University received a $100,000 grant from the Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) Consortium to Advance Health Equity and Researcher Diversity (AIM-AHEAD) to increase research capacity in AI applied to Health Equity.
The funding was provided under AIM-AHEAD’s Program for Artificial Intelligence Readiness (PAIR). Faculty members from computer science, biology and nursing are collaborating with the PAIR program to develop research capabilities that can transform Health Equity through novel applications of AI.
"Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the enabling technology of the 21st century and it has transformed, and continues to transform, many aspects of our lives,” said Sambit Bhattacharya, Ph.D., full professor of Computer Science and principal investigator for the research project, in a press release. “AI has high potential for improving Health Equity by analyzing large and complex health care datasets to combat disparities in minority healthcare.”
Collaborating with Bhattacharya are co-investigators Jiazheng Yuan, Ph.D, associate professor and assistant chair of the Biology and Forensic Science department and nursing faculty members Angela McLaurin, Ph.D, and Jamil Norman, Ph.D.
The team’s Phase I, Increasing Capacity in Health Equity through Use-Inspired Research in Artificial Intelligence, will focus on creating the foundation for establishing a comprehensive network of prominent scholars and experienced practitioners. The network will collaboratively participate in workshops and symposia to delineate specific research thrusts, pinpoint existing gaps in research, understand the current state of research infrastructure and discern technological methods that can be employed.
Creating this network is the catalyst for establishing an AI Lab on Health Equity.
Focusing on minority populations and other communities that often face extra challenges is a pivotal aspect of this initiative. “Using AI to connect people to community resources can also help to decrease health disparities,” Bhattacharya added in a press release.
The primary funder of the AIM-AHEAD consortium is the National Institutes of Health.
On Monday, June 1, 2026, Tribe members from District 2 and District 15, the districts surrounding the area currently planned for the casino, met for a community meeting.Amidst the glitz and glamour of the idea of a new casino coming to the Lumbee Tri
This is the fourth year that ETI has hosted the event, and in years past Freeman has seen a host of innovative technology, including various drone types and programming, robotic dogs, 3D printed houses, and airspace scanners. Photo provided by USSOCO
Crystal McLean (left) with Scott Embry (right). Money Box Academy received a $10,000 grant from United Way of Cumberland County’s Youth Growth Stock Trust. Photos provided by Crystal McLean.The Youth Growth Stock Trust Committee, administered by the
