The AIM-AHEAD Program for Artificial Intelligence Readiness (PAIR) was established to strengthen AI readiness at institutions nationwide, particularly those facing challenges due to limited AI/ML infrastructure and resources. Through a structured program that combines funding, mentorship, technical training, grant-writing support, and access to AI/ML health research experts, PAIR helps institutions lay the foundation for advancing AI-driven health research and innovation.
Awardees leverage AIM-AHEAD resources to develop AI-focused research projects, establish institutional connections with AI/ML Health Research Labs, and foster interdisciplinary collaborations that bring together expertise from across fields. By strengthening research capacity and expanding access to AI/ML tools, data, and networks, PAIR strengthens the long-term success and sustainability of health research programs.
The impact of PAIR extends well beyond individual projects. Across participating institutions, awardees are establishing AI/ML research labs, creating new collaborative networks, expanding opportunities for student engagement, and securing funding and recognition that further advance their work. The awardees featured below represent just a few examples of how participation in PAIR is helping researchers transform ideas into lasting impact for their institutions, students, and communities.
Program Directors:
Dr. Uduak George
Lead PI of San Diego State University
PAIR Cohort 1 Phase II Team
Dr. Uduak George, Associate Professor at San Diego State University, speaks about how PAIR facilitated her transformation from a mathematician to a healthcare AI researcher. The critical support provided by PAIR, including access to robust datasets, enabled her new lab to conduct cutting-edge research to identify high-risk individuals for lung cancer screening.
Listen as Dr. George describes the meaningful work made possible by AIM-AHEAD – creating tools that “give patients a chance they didn’t know they had.”
Dr. Fahmi Khalifa
Lead PI of Morgan State University
PAIR Cohort 1 Phase II Team
Dr. Fahmi Khalifa, Assistant Professor at Morgan State University, shares how PAIR transformed a promising research idea into a thriving lab. By integrating expertise across engineering, biology, and computer science, the team has advanced AI-cancer research while creating opportunities for students to lead these projects.
Listen as Dr. Khalifa highlights how PAIR empowered his lab, enabling them to secure new research funding, build university-wide partnerships, and foster the next generation of AI for health scholars.
Dr. Marjorie Gondre-Lewis
Lead PI of Howard University
PAIR Cohort 1 Phase II Team
Dr. Marjorie Gondre-Lewis, Professor and Associate Dean at Howard University, outlines how PAIR helped lay the foundations for not just a new lab, but a data-driven hub for AI-neurobiology research at her institution. While bridging the gap between clinical researchers and computer scientists, her team was able to initiate cutting-edge research, pursue competitive grant funding, and mentor students and postdoctoral researchers alike.
Watch as Dr. Gondre-Lewis highlights her team’s achievements and describes how PAIR shaped their approach to AI/ML research.
Dr. John Valdovinos
Lead PI of California State University Northridge
PAIR Cohort 1 Phase II Team
Dr. John Valdovinos, Associate Professor at California State University Northridge, discusses his journey through PAIR. The lab he established through the program forged connections between biomedical engineering and psychology, and enabled students that were new to research to engage in impactful work.
Listen to Dr. Valdovinos describe how PAIR’s mentorship and training were key in building a sustainable pipeline of both innovative AI solutions and budding researchers.
Dr. Martine De Cock
Lead PI of University of Washington Tacoma
PAIR Cohort 1 Phase II Team
Dr. Martine De Cock, Professor at University of Washington Tacoma, details how PAIR helped establish an emerging center for AI-driven healthcare innovation on her campus. Her team created lasting interdisciplinary partnerships and developed ways for students to engage in high-impact research, leading them to secure national awards and institutional recognition.
Watch as Dr. De Cock underscores how PAIR supported her in building strategic research collaborations, empowering students and faculty, and growing AI/ML research capacity at UWT.
Find out more about how AIM-AHEAD Consortium Development Program participants Yanmin Gong (PhD) and Feifan Liu (PhD) are advancing healthcare through AI/ML-driven research.
Leading experts, researchers, trainees, and partners from across the biomedical and artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) community convened for the Bridge2AI All-Hands meeting.
Find out more details about eligibility and the application process for this ReCARDO research opportunity.