The National Institutes of Health has awarded a team of researchers at the University of Houston a $500,000 grant to leverage artificial intelligence in improving health behaviors and outcomes in underserved communities.
The groundbreaking project is led by Dr. Winston Liaw, chair of the Health Systems and Population Health Sciences department at the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine. He and a multidisciplinary research team from the Fertitta College of Medicine and Cullen College of Engineering will develop and study AI applications aimed at facilitating behavior changes and reducing health disparities.
“This grant offers an exciting opportunity to integrate advanced AI models directly into primary care to provide personalized health counseling at a scale we’ve never seen before,” said Lola Adepoju, clinical associate professor at the Fertitta College of Medicine and research team member. “By partnering with the communities we serve, we’re aiming to create AI tools that are not only effective but also trusted and tailored to address the specific challenges faces by underserved populations.”
The platform’s primary focus will be on behaviors that impact cardiometabolic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease – conditions that disproportionately affect Black and Latino communities. The team will use AI to analyze patient data from audio, video and biometric sensors to develop a virtual ‘counselor’ capable of providing personalized guidance to help patients adopt healthier lifestyles, including an improved diet, increases in physical activity and decreases in unhealthy activities like smoking.
“There is a critical need for behavior change interventions in communities facing high rates of chronic diseases.”
-Lola Adepoju, clinical associate professor
“Underserved populations often lack access to consistent behavior change counseling due to clinician shortages and time constraints. Our AI-driven tool will help bridge this gap, delivering efficient and evidence-based interventions directly to those who need it most,” Adepoju said.
By providing continuous, personalized support, Adepoju says AI has the potential to help patients overcome obstacles to better health while alleviating pressures on health care providers.
“Our research aims to create AI technologies that resonate with the communities they serve, ensuring that interventions are both culturally relevant and ethically sound,” Adepoju said. “And these tools could be particularly beneficial in resource-limited settings such as Federally Qualified Health Centers.”
The research team includes Bill Elder, professor and former chair of the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences; Lu Wang, assistant professor of health systems and population health sciences, and assistant professor of biomedical engineering; Dr. Diana Grair, chief medical officer at the UH Health Family Care Center; Hien Nguyen, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering; and LaShaune Johnson, clinical professor of health systems and population health sciences.
The project underscores the Fertitta College of Medicine’s commitment to addressing health disparities and supporting communities traditionally underserved by the health care system. If successful, this model could serve as a blueprint for AI-driven interventions in primary care settings nationwide.
“This project could reshape how we view AI in health care,” said Dr. Jonathan McCullers, dean of the Fertitta College of Medicine. “In addition to scaling up access, AI tools created with an emphasis on trust and cultural alignment could ensure that everyone, regardless of background, receives the support they need for a healthier life.”