School of Public Health
The UofM AI for Health Research Lab seeks to develop innovative, ethically grounded applications of artificial intelligence to improve public health outcomes. As part of the university’s broader investment in AI and health—including the Center for Responsible Artificial Intelligence in Public Health and the “AI for All” academic programs—the Lab addresses critical challenges across multiple domains.
AIM-AHEAD
The AIM-AHEAD Consortium is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) initiative designed
to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in health
research. It supports institutions in building AI/ML capacity through targeted resources,
training and collaborative opportunities that advance research activities.
Application of Artificial Intelligence in Treatment
Development for Substance Use Disorders 
With support from the Program for Artificial Intelligence Readiness (PAIR), the University of Memphis has established the AI for Health Research Lab. While the Lab’s initial focus is on substance use disorder, its work extends to other pressing areas such as maternal and child health, food and nutrition, mental health and broader efforts in preventive health and disease prevention. The Lab also seeks to incorporate generative AI (GenAI) tools to enhance public health education and communication, encourage healthy behaviors and support student training and faculty development.
Bowie State University California State University - San Marcos Georgia State University Illinois State University Penn State University Santa Clara University University of Memphis University of Georgia University of Hawai’i - Manoa University of Massachusets - Lowell University of Nebraska - Lincoln Universidad de Puerto Rico University of Texas - San Antonio
A key component of this initiative is the CRA, which provides structured support to institutions for establishing AI/ML health research laboratories. The PAIR program includes a two-phase funding model:
Phase 1: Provides up to $100,000 for institutional teaming and training, with an emphasis on forming multidisciplinary teams, refining research concepts, and engaging with AIM-AHEAD resources.
Phase 2: Provides up to $150,000 to launch research labs, conduct exploratory projects, and prepare for future NIH grant submissions such as R01 or R21.
Team
CRAIPH brings together a team of faculty, students and partners with expertise in AI, health research, systems science and applied analytics.
Ricky Leung, PhD, MPhil, MS
Director and Principle Investigator, Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Dipankar Dasgupta, PhD
Co-Principle Investigator, Hill Professor in Cybersecurity
Satish Kedia, PhD, MPH, MS
Associate Dean, Administration and Faculty Affairs, Professor
Arunava Roy, PhD
Research Assistant Professor at the Center for Information Assurance (CfIA)
Rameshwari Prasad, MBBS, MPH
Public Health Scholar, PhD Candidate in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Joomi Kim, MS
First-year PhD student
Sharon Griffin, PhD, MBA, MPM
Senior Project Manager
Join the Lab
While initially focused on substance use disorder, its scope includes maternal and child health, aging, nutrition, mental health, food, disease prevention and preventive health. The Lab also utilizes generative AI tools to advance public health education and communication, promote healthy behaviors and support student training and faculty development. Through these efforts, the Lab aims to strengthen research capacity and cultivate a diverse, skilled workforce prepared to lead in AI-driven public health innovation. Join our team today by emailing aihr@memphis.edu.
Multimodal Data Sources 
Substance Use Disorder (SUDs) 
Early Intervention Strategies 
Behavioral Change 
Populations Affected by Addiction 
Mental Health Challenges 
Chronic Diseases