In the 2023-2024 academic year, the Office of Public Health Practice & Community Engagement applied to the TLTC Teaching Innovation Grant and was one of the three 3-year grant awardees. In consultation with partners across the School of Public Health, the Department of Computer Science, and the broader community, PIs Dr. Tracy Zeeger and Dr. Sylvette La Touche-Howard intend to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to develop a community simulator training tool for students and public health practitioners to have experiential learning opportunities to practice mitigating, preventing, and ultimately overcoming the grand public health challenges of our time.
Project Team
Principal Investigators
Dr. Tracy Zeeger & Dr. Sylvette La Touche-Howard, Assistant Deans, Office of Public Health Practice and Community Engagement, will manage, develop, and oversee all activities related to this project.
Co-Principal Investigators
Dr. Tom Goldstein, Volpi-Cupal Endowed Professor, Department of Computer Science, will advise on language model creation and auditing.
Dr. Min C. Lin, Barry Mersky and Capital One Endowed Professor, Department of Computer Science, will advise on user-centric interface design using LLM & simulating, modeling, learning, & predicting user-behaviors.
Collaborators
Dr. Robert Gold, Professor Emeritus, Behavioral and Community Health
Dr. Melvin Seale, Assistant Clinical Professor, Health Policy and Management
Swati Ramnath, (she/her) is an incoming PhD student in the Behavioral and Community Health program at the University of Maryland. She earned her Master’s in Social Psychology from San Francisco University, where her research focused on developing culturally-relevant and accessible depression apps for low-income communities in India. Swati has also excelled as a user experience researcher at Google Health and various digital health startups, conducting mixed-methods research to make digital health tools more inclusive for older adults and underrepresented population groups. Her passion lies in advancing digital health technology and AI-based interventions to be more equitable, culturally attuned, and empathetic for diverse populations. With her interdisciplinary background in Engineering, Psychology and Public Health, Swati is committed to transforming the landscape of health tech with innovation and compassion.
Raj Bhansali (he/him) is an undergraduate student in the Scholars Program at the University of Maryland, pursuing a double degree in Public Health Science and Finance. Raj is passionate about leveraging AI to address public health challenges and hopes to contribute to AI-driven public health initiatives. His goal in this project is to gain valuable experience researching, experimenting, and writing. Outside of his work in AI and public health, Raj is also currently pursuing an independent study exploring his interest in the intersections of financial literacy and healthcare access.
Katherine Ipina (she/her) is a senior in the Public Health Practice Program at University of Maryland. She is passionate about addressing health disparities and equitable access to health care in minority communities. Other interests include sexual health, mental health, and women’s health. Katherine’s goal is to enhance her knowledge on Public Health Practice to address health disparities and promote equitable health in the community.
Erica Maharjan (she/her) is a Public Health Science student working toward a bachelor's degree at the University of Maryland. Equipped with various experiences in data analysis, patient care, and community outreach, Erica is determined to impact the public health field positively. She is fluent in English, Nepali, and Hindi and has had critical experiences giving health education to traditionally underserved populations. Her training includes knowledge of data visualization, EHR systems, and technology-based solutions to health problems, which provide her with assurance and determination to serve as an advocate for evidence-based solutions.
Project Goals
Project Updates
- The project just got underway this summer
- We've hired our Public Health Graduate Assistant, Swati
- We are in the process of hiring undergraduate interns and conducting an initial literature review