Researchers at Johns Hopkins University will continue developing artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies to improve health and care for older adults, including people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, through a five-year, $20 million award from the National Institute on Aging (NIA).
The funding supports the university’s Artificial Intelligence and Technology Collaboratory (AITC), named to reflect the collaboration of researchers from different disciplines pursuing shared research goals. At Hopkins, the initiative brings together experts from the School of Medicine, Whiting School of Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Carey Business School, and Berman Institute of Bioethics.
Led by principal investigators Rama Chellappa, Alexis Battle, Peter Abadir, and Phillip Phan, the AITC supports research using artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, wearable technologies, conversational speech analysis, and other digital health tools.
The broader AITC effort also involves faculty from across Hopkins, including Esther Oh, Jennifer Schrack, Debra Mathews, Najim Dehak, Christopher Chute, and Karen Bandeen-Roche, whose expertise spans medicine, engineering, public health, and bioethics.
Building on Innovations
The funding builds on five years of AITC-supported research on pilot projects, including conversational AI and voice technologies to identify early signs of cognitive impairment, wearable devices and smart insoles to assess mobility and fall risk, and computer vision paired with autonomous robots to help detect agitation among nursing home residents with dementia.
With further research and development, these approaches could help clinicians identify health changes earlier, monitor physical function, and develop non-pharmacological interventions.
To move these projects toward practical applications, the Carey Business School supported business consulting to help researchers commercialize their innovations, a feature that will continue with the renewed funding.
New Projects
With the additional funding, Peter Abadir, professor of medicine and professor of electrical and computer engineering, will help lead the AITC’s clinical aging and translational implementation work. His research will focus on AI- and sensor-enabled approaches to measuring frailty, resilience, mobility, cognition, and functional risk in older adults.
Rama Chellappa, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor in biomedical engineering, electrical and computer engineering, and the director of the Research Innovation Core, will lead the development of trustworthy artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science methodologies to advance research in aging and cognitive health.
Phillip Phan, professor at the Carey Business School and an AITC principal investigator, will help connect academic and industry inventors with business expertise to advance AI-based technologies from initial design toward proof of concept and implementation. This work will help researchers evaluate commercialization opportunities and move promising technologies closer to practical use.
The AITC will also hold an annual pilot competition open to researchers from Johns Hopkins, industry, and other academic institutions. Applications for the upcoming competition will be available beginning Oct. 19 on the AITC’s Apply for Funding page. The competition will support innovative AI and technology projects designed to promote healthy aging, preserve independence, and improve care.