IU Bloomington Summit Explores AI & Health Research
The Indiana CTSI hosted the AI & Health Research Summit at Indiana University Bloomington on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. Attendees from around the state filled Presidents Hall to hear from a diverse and interdisciplinary lineup of experts about the latest applications of artificial intelligence in health research.
“The AI and Health Research Summit brought together outstanding speakers from many different areas of AI including ethics, medicine, public health and community engagement,” said Joel Ybe, PhD, who is the Indiana CTSI navigator for IU Bloomington.
Ybe organized the event along with Bill Hetrick, PhD, who is the Indiana CTSI’s deputy director for IU Bloomington; David Crandall, PhD, and Selma Sabanovic, PhD.
“It was great to hear about the breadth research involving AI performed in the Bloomington campus, at other Indiana CTSI institutions, and beyond,” Ybe said.
The agenda included 15 talks exploring wide-ranging but complementary topics related to AI and health research, such as ethics, data engineering, and design justice and precision health. There was also a midday “research incubator” session, which gave attendees the opportunity to participate in small group discussions about research and potential collaborations. This session was coordinated by Brea Perry, PhD, who is associate vice president and vice provost for research at IU Bloomington.
Danny Valdez, PhD, who presented his work on a mobile app for people in recovery from substance use disorder, said the event was a fantastic opportunity to connect with colleagues from across IU and Indiana.
“The aim of my talk was to highlight the human aspect of research and data science model development—including building trust with community partners, using data ethically, and co-developing research from exploratory phases to refined ML and AI development,” he said.
This theme—the “human aspect” of AI—was woven throughout the day, with speakers sharing compelling data and thoughtful insights about how to apply AI to health research effectively and responsibly.
Between sessions, Indiana CTSI Co-Directors Sharon Moe, MD, and Sarah Wiehe, MD, MPH, shared some of the ways the Indiana CTSI supports AI and health research, including multiple resources and systems available through its Data Science & Informatics infrastructure.
They also highlighted some funding opportunities and other Indiana CTSI resources available to investigators at IU Bloomington, including the Social, Behavioral & Brain Health Project Development Team.
The day closed with a virtual keynote address by Susan Gregurick, PhD, who is Associate Director of the Office of Data Science Strategy at National Institutes of Health (NIH). Her presentation “illustrated the NIH’s investment in AI and health and how so many IU faculty are benefitting from this commitment,” Ybe said.
“The event was a fantastic opportunity to connect with colleagues from across IU and Indiana,” said Valdez. “I’m grateful that the CTSI offers such opportunities to foster truly creative research development.”